


Brute Divine

by WingsWill



Category: Mr. Robot (TV)
Genre: Angst, F/F, Fluff and Angst, Fluff and Hurt/Comfort, Hurt/Comfort, Idiots in Love, Mutual Pining, Sad with a Happy Ending, Self-Destruction, and a tiny bit of Tyrelliot
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-27
Updated: 2018-05-27
Packaged: 2019-02-19 01:30:35
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 13
Words: 29,002
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13113069
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/WingsWill/pseuds/WingsWill
Summary: “Fucking shit.” Darlene slurs, she lifts her hand to the door and hesitates, second guessing why she came here of all places, in this condition. The thought of having to walk anywhere else over weighs the doubt as soon as it enters her mind.This is the one where Darlene is a mess and Dom is sad. It hurts. For now. Picks up after the end of season 3.





	1. Chapter 1

She sits on a barstool, leg bouncing with a nervous energy she can’t shake. Picking up her drink she takes in the crowd with a skeptical gaze, a few people scattered here and there, absorbed in their semi private conversations. Friday nights have never been her scene, the nine to fivers revelling in the beginning of their two day freedom. But for some unknown reason _(very known but she’s not thinking about that now)_ she finds herself here, sinking drinks into her belly without much forethought. The dark circles under her eyes have magnified ten fold, smeared eyeliner giving the exhaustion in her stare a frame, her melancholy masterpiece.

The past two months have been interesting, she thinks, rapping her knuckles on the bar, signalling to the bartender she’s ready for another. He slides the glass across the countertop, hesitant and somewhat judgemental, but she wouldn't expect anything less given her current condition.  

Darlene can’t quite work out why she’s been doing this, winding up in _this_ bar every week since it happened, cringing at herself as she takes a deep drink. She knows her feet take her down to the subway station and onto a train, she knows her eyes locate _this_ bar from streets away and she knows her hand pushes open the door. 

Sipping her drink this time, her mind daring to wander to the who behind the why. That name, _her_ name, the name she refuses to think too hard about until she’s well past drunk, echos so loudly in her head and Darlene can’t bare it anymore. Dom had made it abundantly clear, _“You’re a terrible person, don’t ever convince yourself of anything else.”_ And Darlene wholeheartedly agrees, taking another sip, liquor burning all the way down her throat. Her vision blurs as she tries to make out the time on the clock, she’s been here three hours or at least she thinks she has.   

She knows Dom won’t be here, she hasn’t caught sight of her the past eight times, hasn’t laid eyes on the dye job redhead since the barn. Not like she’s been looking or anything, Darlene reasons that Dom probably thinks of this place now as the catalyst to her whole life being blown to pieces, which is more than understandable. 

She finishes the rest of her drink and sits up straighter, supporting her face in her hands, the bartender fixing her another as she nods. _“All you deserve for the rest of your life is pure and utter agony. That’ll begin to scratch the surface of how I feel about you.”_ Darlene feels the memory slice through her soul, halting the workings of her lungs as she chokes on her breath, reaching out for the fresh liquor in her glass. She had wanted to beg for forgiveness and stop from Dom leaving, noticing too late that her feet were pinned to the ground with Dom’s heavy words, despair stealing her breath as she sat slumped against the car door. 

The stark realization of how she genuinely felt came with witnessing Dom fall to the parking lot floor, knocked out cold, the nightmare developing before her eyes had shredded Darlene’s insides and awoken a needle-pointed panic inside of her, a feeling that she had reserved only for Elliot up until that moment. She cared for Dom, with a subtle fondness that crept up on her slowly and unassumingly. 

Darlene blinks and raises a finger to lazily trace the hard edge at the top of her glass, unwillingly letting her mind turn over. Watching Dom being walked out of the barn had destroyed her, stunning her into spineless silence. She remembers how her heart had shrivelled, its stuttering beats slowing and quickening, attempting to grasp the information her brain was relaying to it, that in minutes Dom wouldn’t be alive, and that it was her fault. Darlene hasn’t been able to rid herself of the feeling of dread since. 

She wants to know if she’s okay, as okay as Dom can be in the situation Darlene has dumped her in. _“You’ve taken everything from me. My whole life is ruined because of you. Live with that, die with that.”_  Darlene fights off the urge to squeeze the glass in her hands until it fractures, instead she tips her head back and downs her drink in one sudden movement, eyeing the bartender as she motions for another, to which he declines and shakes his head.  

“Fuck, dude.” Darlene grumbles, pushing herself off the bar, the barstool scraping loudly against the floor. She hasn’t stood in awhile she thinks, legs wobbling as she stands, stumbling uncoordinatedly to the bathroom. The loud chatter of the bar fades out with every step she takes and she sighs in relief, locking the door behind her. Darlene leans against the wood of the door, only just suppressing the compulsion to sob. 

Taking deep breaths in and out, she staggers to the sink, turning the tap and filling her hands with water, recklessly splashing her face, the cold doing nothing to help sober her up. She clutches the countertop and fixes her gaze to the mirror, startled by her own reflection. She looks gaunt and broken, her hair is as messy as she’s ever seen it and her eyes are sunken and dull, like all the light they’ve ever held has been viciously snuffed out. Darlene physically recoils at the sight, legs carrying her blindly to the locked bathroom door, she opens it in a hurry, crossing the room and out of the entrance of the bar.  

She wants to scream into the street, the guilt she conceals within her is overflowing again, this time threatening to eat her alive, her body swaying as the alcohol charges rapidly though her veins, the liquor catching up to her, an unwanted aftermath of the ungraceful effort to get out. Darlene squints, locating an empty alley to the left of the bar and strides towards it, desperate for distance, somewhere away from prying eyes. Darlene stops fighting so hard against the feeling of hopelessness, she tucks her body into the darkness of the alley and wraps her arms around herself, hands trembling as her back hits the rough brick wall.  

Darlene breaks. 

* * *

  

She can feel the sputtering of rain clouds over her head, looming ominously as the droplets hit her face sporadically, rousing her out of the despondent reverie she’d fallen into. She can’t work out how long she’s been standing here like this, she feels for her clothes and finds that they are moderately damp, she figures it must have been awhile. 

Darlene kicks her shoes against the wet concrete, aggravated at herself for losing track of time, the thought of disappearing minutes alarms her, Elliot flashing through her mind. 

“Well, looks like my night just got a whole lot better…” A loud booming voice breaks through the quiet of the alley, Darlene’s head snaps up to peer into the darkness, hoping to catch a glimpse of the source of the noise. She can make out the sound of heavy boots sloshing through the puddles on the ground. 

“You deaf or something, miss?” The voice is closer this time, Darlene can see the outline of a figure moving towards her lazily. 

“Dude, I’m so not in the mood for this.” Darlene complains, pushing her back off the wall, sighing as she stands up straighter, walking towards the light of the entrance of the alley. She hears rushed footsteps, and feels a rough hand grabbing at her forearm, spinning her around. 

“Hey now, where do you think you’re going? We just met.” the instant the man starts to speak Darlene can smell stale beer on him, it reeks and Darlene’s senses are invaded by it. 

“We haven’t met and we won’t be meeting. Let go of my arm, man.” Darlene says sternly, trying to free her arm from the hand that surrounds it, acutely aware of how vulnerable she is. 

“Someone needs to teach you some manners.” The grip on her arm tightens painfully, Darlene’s stomach twists in panic at his words, furious with herself for getting so fucked up.

“Ironic. Seriously let go of my fucking arm, mouth breather.” Darlene snarls, getting her body weight behind the movement she yanks harder, finally disentangling herself from the hold.

“Fucking rude bitch.” The man spits out at her, his face scrunched in repulsion. Darlene sees red, her judgement obscured by an unfiltered rage. Logically she knows she should run, get as far away from this man as quickly as possible. Instead she hones in on him, squaring her shoulders, feeling her face flush with anger. 

“What the fuck did you just say?” Darlene roars and explodes, shoving the man back, her hands pushing hard against his chest. Regaining his footing, he glares at her, bewildered at the force.

“I said,” He says, taking a step forward into Darlene’s personal space, unaware of just how big this man was until this moment, “Fucking. Rude. _Bitch._ ” And he swings. 

Darlene doesn’t register what is happening for a couple of seconds, the whiplash from the blow knocking her head back, when she opens her eyes her vision is hazy and unfocused, she can feel the warmth of what can only be blood flowing from her nose.  

“Fucking dumbass neanderthal.” Darlene gets out, her mind screaming at her to stop, her mouth refusing to obey. She feels the second blow connect with the side of her head, splitting the skin of her eyebrow. Her legs threaten to buckle underneath her with the power behind his fist, all the energy draining from her body from the strikes. 

She doesn't know why, there is nothing funny about the predicament she's in, but Darlene starts laughing. She hunches over with her hands on her knees and laughs hysterically, peering up at the man standing over her, blood obscuring her ability to see. 

She watches confusion pass across the features of his face, quickly morphing back to anger as Darlene continues to laugh. He lunges towards her again, this time he leads with a knee and Darlene feels the air rush out of her lungs at the impact, clutching her ribs, she crumbles to the concrete. With a heavy boot he stomps down on her thigh and Darlene can’t stop the wounded howl that slips past her lips. She tries to push herself up off the ground and makes it to a sitting position, until the arm that she’s using to prop herself up with is swept out from underneath her.  

“You better remember this,” The man leans down, a hand tugging at her hair roughly, “Remember me.” He finishes, knocking her head into the cold bricks. Darlene startles as she hears loud metallic creaking coming from the side of the alley, accompanied by the sudden appearance of light streaming in from a doorway. At the interruption, her attacker scurries from the source of light like a cockroach. The noise of bottles clinking and toppling into the trash fills her ears, replacing the ringing in her head that she’s been experiencing since the first blow. She decides to stay quiet, mustering up the energy to stand. As soon as the door closes, Darlene grips onto the brick wall and slowly pulls herself up to her feet. She brings her hand to her face tentatively, wincing as her fingers press at the sensitive cut at the side of her eye, the urge to laugh subsiding.

Darlene doesn’t know what to do or where to go, but she starts moving. Staggering through the empty street, drunk and beaten, her feet find a curiously familiar route. The words _‘pure and utter agony’_ ricochet throughout her skull wildly, her hands fish around in her pockets for her cigarette packet, and when she eventually finds them she’s thankful that they haven’t been crushed in the scuffle. She lights one, taking a long drag and exhales deeply, her lungs quivering at the effort. The adrenaline that had inundated her system during the beating is abandoning her cells hastily, and at the loss of the rush, Darlene begins to notice the significance of her injuries. Pain growing more profoundly with the worn down steps she takes. 

At some point her eyes find an apartment building she recognizes, her legs screaming at her to stop and rest. She opens the buildings front door and advances towards the stairs, pushing her body as hard as she can, using all the strength she has left to make it to the top. Darlene drags herself down the hallway, her shoulder bumping into the wall loudly in her clumsy attempt to move forward. 

“Fucking shit.” Darlene slurs, she lifts her hand to the door and hesitates, second guessing why she came here of all places, in this condition. The thought of having to walk anywhere else overweighs the doubt as soon as it enters her mind. She knocks delicately at first, then after a minute or two she starts banging her fist against the door and braces her body against the wood, her eyelids sliding shut in absolute exhaustion.

Without warning the door Darlene’s leaning against flies open, and she can’t stop herself from falling forward, the surface she was using to keep herself upright suddenly gone. Fortunately, steady arms catch her.

"Jesus H. What are you doing here?" Dom exclaims in shock, holding onto Darlene as she wavers. Dom instantly picks up the smell of blood, the way Darlene feels weak in her arms. She pulls back, adjusting a little so she can inspect her. Dry blood litters her face and clothes, Dom can see two large gashes marring Darlene's skin, one on the bridge of her nose and the other beside her right eye. The swelling on her cheekbone is extensive, Dom estimates that in an hour or two her eye will be swollen shut, the bruising a deep purple and blue already. Darlene's eyes flutter wearily underneath Dom's scrutinizing stare. 

"What happened? What did you do?" Dom says, voice tight and strained. 

 

 

Darlene blacks out.         

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thanks for reading!


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Alexa, are you sad?” Dom broaches, her eyes taking in the state of her apartment. It’s cluttered, even for her standards, empty food containers building up on her table, things that she wasn’t aware she owned are littered carelessly on the floor. Looking at it makes her feel dirty, but it’s not quite dirty enough to make her want to clean.
> 
> “If you are good, I’m good.” Alexa says, Dom snorts out half a laugh and takes a long drink from her beer.

Most days, Alexa’s voice crackles through her empty apartment, the automated monotone drivel  filling the gaps in the silent air around her. Dom has given up on the daily five nine reports, her induction to the Dark Army had provided enough information to last a lifetime, and the further she distances herself from thinking about that day, the organization she’s now a part of, the better she feels. 

“Alexa, do you get sad?” Dom asks, picking up the valium she’d set aside earlier, noting that she’s already halfway through her prescription, rattling the box, letting the empty foil wrapped plastic fall to the counter. She puts the pill on her tongue and reaches for her cold beer, washing it down her throat. 

“I'm sorry, I’m afraid I don’t have an answer to that.” Is Alexa’s reply. Dom nods, watching on as Alexa’s infrared fades. 

Dom has made frequent trips to the agency’s psychiatrist, omitting bits and pieces of information, getting what she needs out of the mandatory sessions. She is dubiously aware that she’s burning through the assortment of medication she has been given. Dom reasons she has a valid excuse, and from what her psychiatrist has put together with what she’s told him, he seems to agree. Santiago’s defection, a hazardous work environment, the ever-present threat of the Dark Army (not under any conditions does she mention her involvement) and Darlene, their abduction that was caught on the FBI’s CCTV. Words like depression, anxiety and PTSD get thrown around. Dom refuses to listen. She talks, takes her prescriptions and leaves. 

Fixing Santiago’s mess was easier than she thought it would be, when she had been struck down to the cold concrete of the parking lot floor by his fist he’d handed her and the Dark Army an opportunity, Irving providing her with strict guidelines of what she was to do, which evidently turned out to be not much at all. A part of her wanted it to be difficult, silently screaming for her colleagues to delve deeper, to figure her out. 

She’s almost completely checked out when she's at the agency, her mind working over time, assaulted by guilt. Outside of day to day operations she doesn’t have the energy to make small talk. Inwardly groaning as she thinks of the all the after work drink invitations she’s rebuffed, more times than she can count in the past eight weeks. Dom’s sure she has heard the other agents speculating about her sudden withdrawal, the front runner is the break up theory, others choose a death in the family. She doesn’t care what they say either way, it’s safer for them to wonder. 

As the weeks went by the occurrences of being asked about Santiago, his death and what followed became noticeably infrequent, the only sense of relief she had felt in months was attributed to his name slowly fading out of the department. It made the fact that her colleagues scattered whenever they caught sight of her hurt a little less.

Her mind is plagued with flickering visions of destruction, she can feel them intruding, pressing hard into the thoughts that pass through, latching onto her brain like blood thirsty parasites. Witnessing the absolute obliteration of human beings, mentally and physically hangs over her head, circling vultures waiting to land. The sound of Santiago’s chest cracking underneath the force of Irving’s wood splitter haunts every waking moment she has, the noise of his last breaths ring endlessly in her ears.

“Alexa, are you sad?” Dom broaches, her eyes taking in the state of her apartment. It’s cluttered, even for her standards, empty food containers building up on her table, things that she wasn’t aware she owned are littered carelessly on the floor. Looking at it makes her feel dirty, but it’s not quite dirty enough to make her want to clean.

“If you are good, I’m good.” Alexa says, Dom snorts out half a laugh and takes a long drink from her beer.

“Are you bad, if I’m bad too?” Dom questions, she’s been doing this a bit lately, talking to Alexa, her apartment feels too big without the mindless robotic chatter, knowing perfectly well she can’t be alone with her poisonous thoughts. Dom pushes a pile of clothes that practically resemble a mountain on her bed to the floor, taking a seat on the lumpy mattress, crossing her legs.

“I'm sorry, I’m afraid I don’t have an answer to that.” 

“I guess that’s a yes?”

“I’m sorry, I didn’t understand the question you were asking.” Dom rolls her eyes in exasperation at Alexa’s lack of answer and feels her phone vibrate in the pocket of her jeans. She takes it out and opens the new message, a picture of her sleeping nephew lights up the screen. The sight of it forces a small smile to form at the corner of her mouth. Her thumbs type out a quick _‘cute’_ in reply and she sends it off to her brother, throwing her phone to the edge of her bed once she’s done. She finishes her beer and reaches over to put the empty bottle on her bedside table, flopping onto her back to stare up at the cracksin the ceiling.

She feels her body relax and she doesn’t know whether it’s the valium kicking in or the conformation that her family is okay. Thoughts of them have brought her back to reality recently, she knows what the Dark Army is capable of, she couldn’t risk that, she wouldn’t risk them. Compromising who she is and all that she’s worked for to keep them out of harms way is a sacrifice she would choose over and over again. She folds her hands together over her stomach as it sinks, scorning herself as new unpleasant waves of thought crash through the walls of avoidance she’s built up and preserved. 

“I should’ve died.” Dom’s mouth moves on its own accord, her voice too soft for Alexa to pick up.

“I’m envious of a dead man.” She turns onto her side and stares at the empty bottle she’d placed there a few moments earlier. 

Santiago’s gasping and gurgling sounds swim around in her skull, his dying white noise growing louder the more she tries to fight it. Her eyes screw shut and the smell of gun smoke hovers in the air of her apartment, she consciously knows there is no rational reason to why it’s there, because it isn’t, only her thoughts of the hotel lobby in China. Her colleagues being picked off one by one, unsuspecting and exposed. Behind her eyelids she sees Darlene’s stunned face as they duck together and a window is blown to pieces by Dark Army machine guns. A kaleidoscope of death roars and the sound is deafening, she feels like clawing at her skin, the hairs on the back of her neck start to rise in panic.

Dom’s eyes fly open, her hand extending out in urgency, her fingers close around the neck of the beer bottle. She launches it across the room towards the wall, the impact splinters shards of glass in every direction like a rogue firework. She sits up in bed, her breathing heavy and hands shaking.

Scrambling from her bed she starts pacing the floor, pulling at her hair, her clothes feeling too tight against her skin as her temperature skyrockets. She surges towards the mound of clothes she’s pushed off the bed and sifts through it, hastily pulling at her shirt to get it over her head. She shoves some pyjama bottoms aside and works at tearing off her jeans. Frantically dressing in the soft flannel sleep pants and an old band t-shirt. The tension and heat within her skin fails to decrease so she strides to the kitchen, picking up the discarded pill sheet on the counter, punching two tablets out with her thumb roughly, throwing them into her mouth. She cups her palm under the tap for a mouthful of water and swallows, begging her body for calm.

Dom weakly spins around and lets her back slide down the front of the counter, legs sprawling out awkwardly in an uncoordinated effort to get closer to the ground. She starts crying, big ugly tears trail heavily down her cheeks, she brings the back of one of her hands up to swipe at her eyes, almost as if she is trying to push them back from where they came. She can hear stumbling thuds coming from the hallway and she cries harder, the thought of _normal_ people, carefree as they enjoy their Friday night, being only a few walls away makes her want to grieve, for the old boring routines of her life that have been stolen from her, for her sense of control. 

Faintly, Dom can hear tapping on her front door, she lifts her head up, steadying her breathing. They’ve made a mistake and they’ll move on soon enough, she’s just got to wait this out. Her eyes drift around the room, the dim lamp light catching on the fragments of glass lurking in her apartment, she sighs and makes a move to get up, her brain fuzzy as she tries to remember where she keeps a broom. The hand against the front door is thumping now, a booming sort of loud that’s reverberating throughout her whole body. 

Dom walks towards the door, gripping the handle, stopping herself as her hand begins to twist it open. She hadn’t thought about the possibility of the Dark Army being on the other side, Irving wanting information or assigning her a task, he’d been too quiet the past couple of months and she’s been anticipating his unwelcome arrival. She peers through the peephole of her door cautiously, a mass of hair is blocking a clear view. She collects herself and swings the door open, her hands automatically catching the slumped over body falling towards her. Dom blurts out a default anxiety riddled statement and wills her foggy brain to catch up with the scene that’s playing out before her. She notices Darlene’s clothes are damp underneath her fingertips, how she is swaying on unsteady feet. Dom pushes Darlene gently away from her, still gripping her shoulders to keep her upright.

Quiet terror fills her heart as she takes in Darlene’s demeanour, her tired eyes staring up at her helplessly. Dom inspects the pronounced cuts on her face, red angry marks that look painful and deep.

"What happened? What did you do?” Dom feels Darlene’s body grow slack, she tosses Darlene’s arm around her shoulders and braces for Darlene’s dead weight. She tries her best to shuffle thedormant body in her arms towards the bathroom, sharp pain burrows its way into the soles of her feet as the shards of glass on the floor pierce through her skin, leaving fresh droplets of blood in her wake as she stumbles forward. She kicks her leg out and pushes the bathroom door open with her foot, struggling to get both her and Darlene through the door frame. She props Darlene up on the edge of the built in bathtub, holding onto her with one hand as the other works at removing the blood stained button up she’s wearing to reveal the singlet underneath. Dom supports Darlene’s weight and tips her backwards into the tub tentatively, careful not to jostle her too much. She grabs the long sleeved button up she’s just removed from Darlene and rolls it up, wiggling it behind her head on the cold porcelain, trying to make her comfortable. 

“You’re a fucking moron.” Dom worriedly murmurs, the words directed at herself or Darlene, she’s not certain which, stopping her movements to take in how small she looks, the mess that is Darlene presently.

Dom locates the first aid kit she keeps in the cupboard under the sink and places it on the top of the counter, she plugs the sink and starts filling it, grabbing a hand towel, soaking it in the warm water. She wrings it out with her hands and sits on the edge of the tub, brushing the hair from Darlene’s face aside to get a better view of her wounds. Her mouth spills out a broken noise at the sight of Darlene’s bare face, unrestricted by wayward strands of hair. 

“Alexa play Johnny Cash.” Dom sings out, needy for some sort of distraction. She starts humming along to his gravelly voice, willing her thoughts to simplify so she can focus on the task at hand. 

Dom balls up the cloth and gets to work, stroking at the dry crusty blood that’s gathered on Darlene’s face and neck. She starts slow, singled-minded as she attempts not to reopen the harsh cuts. She trails her fingers from Darlene’s forehead to down around the glaring slash across her eyebrow, eyes darting to the cut on the bridge of her nose which looks insignificant in comparison. Darlene’s even breathing settles her stomach and her closed sleeping eyes strangely provide Dom with a sense of ease. 

Standing, she washes the bloody water from the cloth and hangs it over the side of the sink, sitting back down on the tub she grabs the first aid kit on the counter and places it in her lap, prying open the tight plastic lid. Dom picks out a sterile cotton ball, holding it between her thumb and forefinger and begins dabbing at the cuts attentively to draw out the remaining residue. She tosses the cotton ball to the floor once she’s done and searches the kit for alcohol swabs. She tears at the edge of its wrapper and lingers, holding the wipe just above the cut on Darlene’s nose. 

“This is going to sting.” Dom murmurs, she gets no sign of reaction so she presses the swab to Darlene’s cut, a small amount of blood oozes out of it at the pressure. Her fingers move softly, cleaning the wound thoroughly, she wonders why she cares enough to be bothered to prevent Darlene from infection, why she didn’t immediately push her backwards out of her apartment.

“Did you even stop to think that maybe I wouldn’t want your soul sucking halfwit ass here?” Dom grumbles, picking out some butterfly stitches from the kit. She pinches the open skin beneath her fingertips and carefully places the strips on either side of the gash, closing the wound. Dom sits back and studies her work, satisfied at the first dressing.

“Not gonna lie, the thought did cross my mind… I’m not as stupid as I look…” Dom startles at the sound of Darlene’s voice.

“Agree to disagree.” Dom states impassively as Darlene opens her eyes, her sluggish gaze fixing on Dom. Darlene tries to sit up and she’s forced still by Dom's hands on her shoulders.

“Don’t. I’m not finished yet.” Dom says seriously, grabbing the hand towel from the sink, awkwardly wiping away the fresh blood that had appeared under her attention. 

“Okay.” Darlene says, leaning back into her previous position against the sloped back of the bath. She reaches up to touch the side of her eye, stopping mid-air when she notices the glare she’s receiving. 

“It’s pretty bad, the swelling hasn’t stopped. I’ll grab some ice once I’m done with the cuts, okay?” Dom tells her, fidgeting with the first aid kit, pulling out the next items she’ll need to start mending the bigger laceration, ripping an alcohol swab with her fingers.

Darlene nods at her and closes her eyes, she can feel one of Dom’s warm hands settle on her cheek, cradling her face to keep her still. 

“Look, it’s going to hu—” Dom starts, Darlene cuts her off before she gets the chance to finish.

“I know. Just do it.” Darlene barks out. Adding a soft ‘please’ to the end of her sentence. She’s grateful, so grateful, she doesn’t want to come across as anything else right now.

She can feel Dom’s grip on her face tighten, followed by the acute cold pain of the antiseptic. Darlene instantly recoils away from the touch.

“Motherfucker! What _is_ that? Acid!?” Darlene yells and Dom rolls her eyes. She feels like laughing and her body is calm, too calm for this, Dom vaguely remembers her meltdown in the kitchen, the extra valium she’d taken. Dom groans and shakes her head clear. 

“Stay still! You’re making this ten times harder than it has to be.” Dom warns, pulling the resistant face closer to where she needs it, her hand hovering over Darlene’s eye. 

“I’m sorry, I wasn’t aware you were going to pour liquid fire into my head.” Darlene jokes feebly, the muscles in her body tensing for the onslaught of pain she knows is coming. 

“I’ll make it quick.” Dom replies, busying herself by pressing the wipe to the open cut. Darlene whines, but manages to keep still. Dom examines the cut and decides it’s as clean and hygienic as it’s going to get. She dries the wound and starts to apply the strips.

“You’re probably going to need stitches for this one.” Dom says as she finishes up, smoothly running her thumb over Darlene’s eyebrow, making sure the adhesive of the bandaids are stuck to the skin.

“Chicks dig scars, right?” Darlene says, shrugging her shoulders in indifference as Dom scoffs and stands up, stretching her limbs.

She watches Dom walk drowsily out of the bathroom and she’s struck by the thought of how much her eyes have missed following Dom as she moves, talks or does anything at all. She shifts in the bath and cranes her neck trying to get a better glimpse of Dom, her ribs protesting every slight adjustment she makes. After a few moments Dom reappears in the doorway, shaking a plastic bag that's filled with ice. 

“For your eye.” Dom says, thinking about throwing the bag at Darlene for her to catch, she quickly decides against it and sits on the edge of the bath, handing it to Darlene instead.

“Ice is _niiiiice_ , hey that rhymes.” Darlene draws out the sounds obnoxiously and takes the ice that Dom is offering to her. She raises it to her face and inhales sharply at the pain that shoots up her torso. Dom picks up on it instantly, her hand travels underneath Darlene’s raised elbow and plucks at the material of Darlene’s singlet, lifting it to reveal mean purple bruising up and down her side. 

“Darlene, what happened?” Dom asks, shifting Darlene's shirt up out of the way of her gaze. She presses down lightly on the bruise, trying to determine the extent of the damage. Darlene takes some cubes of ice from the bag and lets them fall into the bathtub, aiming for her sore ribs. 

“Poor decision making. That whole deal.” Darlene watches skeptically as Dom’s fingers prod at her side, redirecting the cubes towards Darlene’s bruises. Darlene rests her elbow against the tub, tilting her head into the bag of ice, holding it there with as little effort as possible. With her other hand she covers Dom’s, halting the movements she’s making against her skin. 

“I didn’t mean to come here. Well I did, but not on purpose. If that makes sense. It doesn’t. _Anyway_ … Thank you, for doing this. Being you.” Darlene says and squeezes the hand in hers. 

“You can’t do this again, Darlene.” Dom states, her face hardening as she speaks the words. Although, she makes no attempt to remove the hand that sits above hers and Darlene takes mental note of it. 

“Still hate me. Got it. Read you loud and clear, captain.” Darlene adds and Dom is silent. Darlene moves her hand off Dom’s, deciding to look around at the mess Dom’s made while tending to her injuries, attempting to attract her attention away from the uncomfortable mood settling into the room.  

“Where did you learn how to do this? Girl Scout camp?” Darlene says and gestures to her bruised but clean, patched up face. 

“Something like that.” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thanks for reading! i miraculously have a decent amount of ideas for the next chapter so i'll try and get it out as soon as i can.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Darlene, you can’t—” Dom stops, weighing up her words in her mind before she continues. This is the most kindness she’s been shown in a long time, breakfast and coffee, a gesture of appreciation. She wonders, before last night, how long it had been since Darlene was shown the same.

Dom stirs, rays of sunlight stream magnificently through the curtains, providing a warmth that radiates within her sleepy soul. Her eyes drift open as she stretches, her legs pleasantly tangling in the sheets of her bed. She basks in the morning light, appreciating the sleep that her mind has provided. 

“Alexa, what time is it?” Dom lifts her head and debates whether to sit up, she decides against the idea almost immediately. She rolls over and grabs her glasses on the bedside table, sliding them onto her nose. 

“It’s 10:14 A.M.” She’s not used to sleeping in, or sleeping at all really, at least not for the past few months and the welcome break from insomnia is surprising to her. Doubling her dose might not be such a bad thing, she thinks. 

“Alexa, ask Handy to schedule cleaning services.” She flips onto her back and rattles off a time, Alexa confirming the booking. Dom decides she might as well use the time to go out and get groceries, the inside of her refrigerator has looked like a wasteland for far too long, its only inhabitants being half eaten containers of leftovers and beer. She isn’t sure where all of this proactiveness has come from, but she’s not complaining. She figures while it lasts, the more she gets done the better. 

Reflecting on the night before, Dom sighs dramatically, in two minds about the choices she has made. If a stranger had come to her door hurt and helpless she would have done the same thing. The thought reassures her and relieves the feeling of regret that’s creeping in steadily as she grows more and more awake. Darlene isn’t a stranger and the logic she’s trying to apply unravels under her analysis. Darlene is… The enemy? An ex-lover? A one night stand? A friend that she’s fallen out with? A CHS that’s no longer in use? Evil incarnate? No matter how hard she thinks about it, how many different variables she runs through, Dom is unable to pin down something that feels right. She is yet to find a box she can pack Darlene into that fits and it drives her insane. 

Dom kicks her legs, throwing back the sheets on her bed and sits up at the thought of Darlene, her memory blurring as she tries to lock onto specifics. She remembers leaving her in the bathtub, fetching the blanket from her bed and dragging it to the bathroom, draping it over Darlene as she slept. She’ll pretend she didn’t linger, that she didn’t lean against the doorframe to stare and contemplate the injured mess of Darlene, the human form of collective puzzle pieces, asleep in her bathtub. Dom reasons she was too tired to be angry, her cells working overtime at keeping her awake, too weak to rouse Darlene from her slumber and tell her to leave. 

It’s easy for her to blame Darlene, she’s the most convenient target for her simmering rage. She is the thumbtack thrown at a rapidly over-inflating balloon. Dom knows, buried deep somewhere in her head that she had been set on this path the minute she’d taken up the case, her own war against the Dark Army. Her reluctant trip to China burns bright in her mind whenever she thinks about it, the strange meeting with the Chinese Minister of State Security. Time is power and Dom’s beginning to grasp that she’s just another victim that’s been swept up in the tick of a clock. 

Darlene was and is desperate to protect her brother, her family. That was made abundantly clear many times throughout Darlene’s work for her as a CHS. Dom had noticed it in Darlene from the start, from the first few interviews in the cold interrogation room. Everything she fought Dom on revolved around Elliot, the last being the almost theft of her swipe card. Darlene had been doing it for the greater good, with the suspicions that there was an insider working with the Dark Army. She was right. The thought hurts, a pain that digs and burrows its way into her heart. She is one of them now. 

She jumps out of bed at the sound of her front door opening, scrambling across the glass riddled floor of her bedroom like a cat that’s been spooked. An unconcerned looking face peppered with purple and blue bruising pops around the corner of her living room wall.

“Hey! So I got coffee. And breakfast. You really need to stock your fridge, dude. I think I got food poisoning just from _looking_ at it. Oh and cute glasses, four-eyes.” Darlene says as she ditches the food on the table that’s covered in trash, her heavy boots crunching over the glass as she walks towards Dom, handing her a coffee. Dom watches on perplexed as Darlene makes herself comfortable on Dom’s bed.

“What’s the prognosis, Doctor? Am I going to make it?” Darlene angles her face towards the sunlight filtering through the window, mischievously squinting up at Dom as much as she can with her swollen eye. 

“Darlene, you can’t—” Dom stops, weighing up her words in her mind before she continues. This is the most kindness she’s been shown in a long time, breakfast and coffee, a gesture of appreciation. She wonders, before last night, how long it had been since Darlene was shown the same. Helping Darlene had made her feel useful, needed. Dom knows she owes Darlene nothing, she wouldn’t regret telling Darlene to get the fuck away from her, have no apprehension with slamming the door in her face, but a voice from the loneliest parts of Dom nudge her in a different direction. 

“Only just. I’m no healthcare professional but my best guess would be that you’ll live. The permanent _hideous_ disfigurement of your face will get easier to accept with time.” Dom smirks into the lid of her coffee as she finishes, her teasing smile obscured from Darlene’s view. 

“Oh no! There must be something that you can do?” Darlene attempts to flutter her eyelashes at Dom and fails miserably, her bruised eye unwilling to play along. Dom takes a few steps forward to stand in front of Darlene on the bed, her hand grips the base of Darlene’s chin and turns it from side to side. She makes concerned humming noises as she inspects the face in her grasp, perturbed by the normalcy of their flirtation, by how foreign it should feel and how much it doesn’t. 

“Nope, I’m afraid not. My apologies.” Dom says matter-of-factly and lets go of Darlene’s face, wandering off towards where the smell of food is coming from, she picks up some of the empty food containers from the table and throws them lazily, aiming for the bin. Darlene knows she’s pushing her luck, that she should’ve left the moment she woke up this morning, she had all intentions of doing just that, until she got halfway down Dom’s apartment buildings stairs. She wants to prove to Dom that she is wrong about her. She cares, if she didn’t this would have been another straightforward speed bump in the way of her self-preservation. Dom is so good, so _pure_. The thought that she’s taken her cursed hands and torn that out of Dom destroys her. Darlene knows it’s more than guilt. More than righting a wrong. 

“Surprise, it’s bagels from the cafe closest to this building.” Darlene says as she makes her way over to the table where Dom is sitting, she pulls a seat out for herself and sits down, reaching for the bag of food. She fishes through it and hands Dom a bagel she’d ordered for her. Dom smiles at her in approval and takes a bite. Maybe they both need this, Darlene thinks. Something soft, a distraction from the world falling apart around them, no matter how hard they are working to keep it together.

“You should’ve seen the way they were looking at my face, someone even asked if I needed them to ring the police for me.” Darlene says in disbelief, sipping her coffee as Dom laughs at her. 

“It’s pretty bad. The side of your face looks like a lava lamp from a horror movie or something. You’re an idiot, really. It’s a miracle they didn’t chase you off with pitchforks and flaming torches.” Dom finishes and takes another bite, feeling the weight on her shoulders ease. She can do this. Pretend. Invest in a moment that doesn’t make her feel like she’s drowning. 

“Karma, I guess.” Darlene adds, aiming for a lighthearted joke as she gestures at her marred appearance. Dom’s facial expression dulls at the reminder, her thoughts immediately taking her back to the barn and the cutting words she's thrown at Darlene. Silence settles in as they continue to eat, Darlene visibly stressed as she frantically searches her brain for something to say.

“It’s okay, Darlene.” Dom offers, her eyes never leaving the table, focused on her food. She hears Darlene’s exhale, like she’d been holding her breath since the slip up. The gentleness in Dom’s voice is too much for Darlene. She doesn’t deserve this, Dom’s comfort. Her chest grows tight as she thinks about Dom’s begrudgingly sweet carefulness with her last night.

“I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have said that. Fuck, I’m really sorry, I shouldn’t be here.” Tears build behind Darlene’s eyes, she pushes her chair back and stands abruptly, horrified that she can’t keep her emotions in check. 

“Wait. Don’t go. Not yet.” Dom exclaims awkwardly, her eyes flicking up to follow Darlene’s movements. Her fingers twitching with the need to reach out. Something in Darlene snaps at the sight of Dom struggling, trying. 

“I ruined your life! Be mad at me! Scream at me! _Hit_ me for fucks sake, I don’t care! Just stop being so understanding!” Darlene yells at Dom, leaning over the table, trying to make herself look bigger than she is. Dom stands up and backs away from Darlene, startled by the aggressiveness. 

“It’s _killing_ me. What I’ve done to you is eating me alive. I can feel it. Every fucking minute of every fucking day.” Darlene cries, her face twisting in heartache and desperation. She side steps the table to invade Dom’s personal space in the hopes she can provoke a reaction, backing Dom up against the wall, caging her. 

“What do you want me to say!?” Dom shouts, feeling her skin heat up in anger, she wants to shove Darlene, run to the other side of the room but her arms are frozen by her sides and her legs refuse to move.

“I don’t forgive you. I’ll never forgive you. Does that make you feel better? Is that what you _want_ to hear?” Dom stands up taller, her gaze broken as she looks into Darlene’s eyes. Darlene says nothing and does nothing, she asked for this. Begged for it. 

“Do you want me to lie to you? Tell you that everything will be alright? I’m fucking _exhausted_ , Darlene.” Dom breathes out, her hands move to push Darlene away from her, she fails, finding no power behind her limbs. Push quickly transforms into pull, Dom’s arms lock into place around Darlene’s waist as she holds her tight. Darlene’s hands snake underneath the back of Dom’s shirt, tugging her as close as she can physically get her. Darlene trembles in relief as Dom sinks into the comfort, cherishing the feel of something distinctively human, something real.

“Cleaning services will be arriving in twenty minutes.” Alexa’s voice breaks the heavy silence, Darlene tightens her grip on Dom before reluctantly sliding her hands down Dom’s back and out from underneath her shirt. 

“Cleanliness is next to godliness.” Darlene announces, Dom blinks down at her, observing how warm she feels from where their bodies remain connected. 

“What?” Dom asks, confused, making no move to abandon the contact, pleased that Darlene is doing the same as they linger together. 

“Something my mom used to say, weird.” Darlene sighs, looking up at Dom who is watching her intensely with heartsick eyes.

“I should go have a shower, I was going to leave and get some groceries while the cleaners were here. Get organized, you know?” Dom says, pulling back slowly, trying to drag out having Darlene against her for as long as she can. 

“Totally, I’ll go. Um… Thanks again for this.” Darlene points to her face, feeling incredibly tongue-tied. Dom smiles and mutters out a quiet ‘no worries’, shifting to put some space between them. 

Darlene’s boots are loud on the floor as she turns to leave, Dom’s ears follow her footsteps across the wooden floorboards, her eyes surveying the mess in her apartment. Instead of fading into the distance, Darlene’s footsteps rush closer, she presses a kiss to the corner of Dom’s mouth and leaves before Dom has the chance to react.

“Okay, bye.” Dom whispers to no one, walking towards her closet in search of something clean. 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> so this is basically just a part two of the last chapter. it'll head off in another direction with the next. hope you liked it!


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Dude, they aren’t going to tell her anything. She’s only an informant.” Darlene says collectedly, her pulse betraying her words. If she can find a way to keep Dom as far away from this plan as possible, she will. Even if it means downplaying Dom’s importance to their cause and intentionally second guessing her brothers decisions, she’ll feel guilty about it either way, so she might as well try.

They have a plan. 

Elliot had been drifting intermittently in and out of her life for the better part of the past month, busy orchestrating _something_. Undoing the five nine hack was relatively easy, thanks to Dom letting them into Sentinel. After numerous conversations he’d finally acknowledged and accepted that they were in this together and to trust in her judgement. In the past, the outcome of whatever he came up with had indiscriminately impacted the both of them, secrecies had sucked Darlene into the fallout like a whirlpool. It was better she knew and Elliot continued to do his best to keep her updated, included. Revenge traded in for redemption. Darlene doesn’t know how to feel about this new path that they are on, she definitely doesn’t feel safer. But it’s _something_. 

“Your FBI contact? Dom?” Elliot says, his face serious and eyes focused. Idly walking around her brother’s apartment, Darlene’s head snaps up at the name. All she can think is, Not _her_. Not again. Elliot continues to speak, oblivious to her reaction. 

“She helped us with Sentinel. We need her.” Elliot turns to face her, a hard edge in his voice. He’s right. They need Dom, someone on the inside. Darlene hasn’t seen Dom in a month, since their tentative attempt at breakfast. Her face healed quickly, a week after it happened it was almost bruise free, yellowing purple blotches lingered for another day or two. The cuts took longer, in part due to her refusal to go to an actual doctor. She knows it’s weird, but Darlene had wanted the marks to stay, they’d become a daily reminder that even in the most bleak of circumstances there was still an honest tenderness to be found. Or just a reminder of Dom, which was the same thing really.

“Dude, they aren’t going to tell her anything. She’s only an informant.” Darlene says collectedly, her pulse betraying her words. If she can find a way to keep Dom as far away from this plan as possible, she will. Even if it means downplaying Dom’s importance to their cause and intentionally second guessing her brothers decisions, she’ll feel guilty about it either way, so she might as well try.

“She’s more than that, Darlene.” Elliot says as he glances at her curiously, like he’s trying to look deeper. Dom is more than _a lot_ of things, but she’s not about to tell him that. She’s stayed away from Dom for this reason, no matter what she does to prevent it, causalities get drawn into the black void that surrounds her.

“Dark Army need her, which means we have something to use. The intel, the requests they will make. It’s information we need if this is going to work.” Darlene’s stomach plummets, she knows she can’t say no to him. This is the best way. It’s the only way. The thought of putting Dom through more misery and deception presses down hard, another heavy weight to sit uncomfortably on her shoulders.

“If we are going to do this, she needs to know the truth. I’ll tell her everything and if she doesn’t want to be a part of it, we’ll come up with another solution.” Darlene counters, relenting.

“She’s not like Tyrell, she isn’t just going to blindly follow you into this. She’ll work it out if I lie to her again, she knows the game now.” Darlene adds, hoping she’s given him enough logical reasons to consider what he’s asking of her.

“Darlene, I don’t think—” Darlene cuts him off before he has the chance to finish, knows he is going to try to negotiate with her on this, and she refuses to budge.

“We don’t know what the Dark Army hold over her, she _deserves_ a choice, Elliot. Don’t we have enough blood on our hands?” Darlene reasons with Elliot, making sure she holds eye contact with him, trying her best to communicate how serious she is. He observes her silently as he processes what she’s telling him. Darlene has no doubt he’s thinking about Trenton, Mobley, Romero, Shayla, Cisco, Gideon. His face softens a fraction and she’s overcome with the feeling of relief.

“Can we trust her?” Elliot asks, his gaze skeptical.

“More than she can trust us, that’s for sure.” 

 

* * *

 

In a backwards way she’s excited to see Dom again, the circumstances surrounding her visit aren’t the greatest, sure, but when have they ever been forced together for something other than darkness? Darlene blows cigarette smoke out from the corner of her mouth, kicking the pavement in front of Dom’s building. She’s close to pacing, can feel the jitters of anxiety bubbling up inside her limbs. She manages to fight off the urge by taking slow drags of nicotine, organizing the thoughts that are whizzing through her head.

She has a bomb, a metaphorical bomb and she can’t work out how or which wires to cut, the deeper she thinks about it the more she realizes it’s leading to a detonation of some kind regardless. She huffs and flicks her cigarette to the ground, extinguishing it with a hard stomp of her boot. Twisting on the spot, she walks into the building and ambles up the stairs.

Darlene can hear music wafting through Dom’s door, from the sounds she can distinguish it’s some ancient obscure classic and Darlene’s lips quirk up in a grin, despite what she’s about to ask of Dom. She raises her hand to the door, knocking decisively. The music stops, and Darlene can make out muffled footsteps behind the door.

“Hey, it’s me.” Darlene sings out, leaning back a little to be in the view of the peephole as she drums her fingers against her leg nervously. The noises of latches clacking fill her ears, Dom’s face appears and Darlene’s universe tilts at the sight of her, shifting and reforming into _something_.

“Hey, Slugger.” Dom manages to articulate through a beaming a smile. She crosses her arms and lets the side of her shoulder slump against the doorframe in an attempt to be casual, resting her body there as she regards Darlene. Her unexpected arrival has an instant remedying effect on her mood, Dom’s given up torturing herself over this, the only form of contact that doesn’t make her feel like she’s the last person on earth.

“Your face looks nice.” Dom almost touches the skin out of habit, to check and fix, stopping herself before she has the chance to reach out. She’s missed this, the wicked gleam that resides behind Darlene’s eyes. Darlene smirks at Dom’s words, unable to resist the temptation to tease.

“Wow look at you go, sweet talker. Do you slay all the lovelies with that one?” Darlene is enormously thankful that Dom’s skin tints a brilliant shade of pink. Having to interact with a carefree Dom in pyjamas late at night is way more intimidating than serious daytime FBI Agent DiPierro. She knows she’s come here for a reason, the driving force behind her drop in, it seems to melt into the backseat the longer she takes Dom in, self-indulgence steering this towards a different direction entirely.

“That’s not what I meant. It looks good, no scars. You got lucky.” Dom sighs in exasperation, cringing over the choice of her last couple of words at the instantaneous reaction it pulls from Darlene.

“Did I now?” Darlene wiggles her eyebrows and laughs as Dom ponders how in the hell they became this comfortable, this familiar. She’d had seen glimpses of it in the interviews, the weak glow of a warm light in the chaos. Building Darlene’s trust, hoping she would follow it like a beacon while she was hiding out in the safe house. In the few times they’d met up at the bar, Dom could feel it wildly cutting in and out like a strobe light. The blackness after the barn had destroyed her, but Dom’s starting to buy into the whole ‘it’s always darkest before the dawn’ deal.

“So, what are you doing?” Darlene asks, moving to lean against the doorframe, mirroring Dom’s current position. She looks genuinely happy to see her, the heart that lives inside Darlene’s chest squeezes and thumps pleasantly at being the focus of Dom’s bright eyes.

“I was actually about to go for a run.” Dom claims, straight faced. Darlene’s eyes flick down, taking in Dom’s appearance for the second time tonight, noting her bare feet and pyjamas. Darlene squints in confusion.

“Dude, really?” Darlene says, perplexed.

“Fuck _no_.” Dom replies and Darlene laughs, her body swaying closer with a need to revel in the sunny feeling that’s growing inside of her, she exhales dramatically, long and drawn out in annoyance as the corners of her lips twitch upwards without her permission, her eyes seek Dom’s as they sparkle under the scrutiny.

“You going to let me in or…?” She pushes Dom light-heartedly with one arm and swears as Dom pretends to shut the door on her. Thankfully Dom relents, moving aside to let Darlene through the door with the tilt of her head.

Dom barely gets the door closed behind her when she is spun around and pushed back against it. Darlene can’t work out why she’s doing this, when the fuse was lit and how it became so short, _too_ short. Dom blinks at her in surprise as Darlene’s hands grip her hips, holding them tightly under her grasp, closing in on the gap between their bodies. Dom stares, her eyes sinking further and further into Darlene’s gaze, hovering together in a stillness that swells with anticipation. Dom’s arms rise and settle around Darlene’s shoulders, threading her fingers through her hair as she moves, drawing Darlene in.

“Wait. I need to tell you something.” At the words, Dom moves to take her hands out of Darlene’s hair and is stopped by a sharp pull on her hips. Dom looks down at her, questioning.

“It’s just… Fuck, I can’t.” Darlene squeezes her eyes shut, willing herself to get through this, to finish what she’s saying. The arms around her shoulders stiffen, Darlene looks up at Dom’s face and can see self-consciousness and apprehension flickering within Dom’s eyes.

“No. It’s not you. I want to do this. Whatever this is. But, I’m going to ruin it. And I don’t know if I can handle that right now and _everything_ is so fucked up, I can’t drag you into this again, you don’t deserve it.” Dom stares at Darlene, contemplating what she’s said as silence descends into the room.

Dom takes Darlene’s face in her hands and kisses her, soft and sure. Darlene tightens her hold on Dom and kisses back, the feel of unwavering lips pressing against her own wipe her mind of anything other than _finally_.

She fists her hands in the bottom of Dom’s shirt and lets herself disappear inside the breathless sounds Dom’s making into her mouth. Dom smiles and Darlene can feel the way her lips turn upwards, her skin begins to tingle with a combination of longing and impending turmoil. She wants to immerse herself in this, in Dom, but an ugly voice in the far corner of her skull slithers its way back in, making itself known gradually, her lips break contact with Dom’s, desperate to catch her breath as panic rises.

“Dom, this is really important.” Darlene places a hand on the side of Dom’s jaw and runs her thumb over her bottom lip, cataloging the feel of it, the warm flesh that breaks her and builds her simultaneously.

A part of her wants to completely forget, bury her thoughts into kissing and touching and _savoring_ every single inch of Dom. Once, there was a time where she wouldn’t think twice about it, but now, as she observes Dom’s furrowed brow and the care behind her confused eyes, she can’t tame the thought that begs her to be better, do better.

“We need your help. To take down the Dark Army for good.” Dom’s face is void of emotion, freezing at the mention of the Dark Army. She sucks in a sharp breath and tips her head back, shutting her eyes in disbelief. At the movement, Darlene’s hand is forced from Dom’s lips to her neck, she drags her thumb backwards and forwards on the skin there, hoping the touch is soothing and not out of place.

“I don’t want you involved, I swear. But… The only way this works is if you help us. Elliot. Tyrell. Angela. Me.” Darlene leans harder against Dom’s tense body, watching her obscured face for any sign of reaction.

“Whatever the Dark Army is holding over you, it doesn’t matter. We’ll get to them before they get to us, it’ll be over, Dom.” Darlene finishes, sliding the hand that’s not resting against Dom’s neck underneath her shirt. Darlene is starting to wonder if Dom’s skin is magnetic in someway, if her own hands are lined with steel, feeling the pull whenever she’s in close proximity.

“You didn’t have to do this.” Dom says to the ceiling, avoiding looking anywhere near Darlene, a barbed ache flares to life and starts circulating through her bloodstream.

“I’m sorry. I had to ask, for Elliot. We can try som— ” Dom cuts her off and shakes her head, Darlene misunderstanding her.

“That’s not what I meant. You didn’t have to do this to me. _Again_.” She snaps her head back down to look at Darlene with a pointed stare, motioning between their bodies. Dom glowers at the puzzled expression that fills Darlene’s face.

“What are you talking about?” Darlene asks, unsure of where Dom is heading, hesitant on how to handle this shift she can viscerally feel as she looks up at Dom. 

“Seduce me every time you need something.” Dom spits out, face flushed with anger. She tries to worm her way out of Darlene’s grip, failing, only managing to provoke Darlene, she clenches her jaw as she feels Darlene’s nails digging into her skin.

“That’s not what this is, Dom.” Darlene’s eyes search Dom’s, trying to find a sign, somewhere, that she does believe her, that deep down she knows this thing between them is real. All she finds is pain and betrayal, it’s strikingly familiar to the way Dom had stared her down after the barn.

“If I— we had any other choice, I wouldn’t be asking. Seriously. The last thing I want to do is fuck your life up more than what I already have.” Darlene says decisively, hoping there’s even the smallest place within Dom that is accepting her justification.

“This is the worst timing in world, but, I need you to listen to me, okay?” Darlene removes the hand that is clawing at Dom’s skin and places it on Dom’s cheek, forcing Dom to meet her eyes. She continues tracing the soft skin of her neck, hasn’t dared to move the hand since it settled there.

“I like you.” Dom scoffs, humorlessly laughing as she makes a feeble attempt to pull back from the hold Darlene has her caught in. Dom’s traitorous mind works overtime to process all the interactions that they’ve ever had, a pathetic fact finding mission to uncover if there is any truth in what Darlene is saying to her.

“Stop overthinking this and fucking _listen_ to me, Dom.” Ungracefully, Darlene yanks Dom’s face towards her own, spurred on by a desperation to convey how much she _feels_ for Dom, how her hard edges have been worn down bit by bit with every fleeting moment they’ve shared together. She kisses her fiercely, in her wildest attempt to make Dom understand that she matters. Dom yields, falling heart first into the onslaught.

With every attack of Darlene’s mouth, Dom’s lips counter in a frenzy. Rage and anguish inundate Dom’s senses abruptly, her ears burn with the sound of gun shots fired at close range, she grabs at Darlene roughly, deepening the kiss. She can feel the warmth of blood splattering against her face, see Santiago’s wide eyes as he collapses to the ground. 

Dom puts two hands on Darlene’s shoulders and pushes her back, regaining some space between them. Her breathing is ragged and her skin buzzes, as if she has a thousand volts humming dangerously in her veins. She breaks the circuit with one final push, not being able to stand the consistent contact they’ve been in since Darlene’s arrival, terrified that her brain will surrender without addressing the biggest issue she has with what Darlene has told her. 

“Was the barn not fucked up enough for you?” Dom’s whole body shakes, the explosive concoction of fury, frustration and Darlene’s mouth. It’s built up more adrenaline than she knows what to do with, resulting in it being dispersed in violent flashbacks of death and terror. Dom realizes she’s worried, for Darlene, Elliot, Angela and even Tyrell. 

“If the Dark Army know you’re here they’ll kill you, me, and my whole family. You’re smart, Darlene. So why the fuck are you being so _stupid?_ You’ll never win.” Dom closes in on Darlene, leaning over her, a snarl stretched across her features. She needs Darlene to understand, in her desperation to keep her safe she caves, obeying the impulse to scare, to tear this insane notion apart before it’s put into action.

“How many of your friends are dead because of this? Your boyfriend, Cisco? The thousands of people in the E-Corp buildings? This _bullshit_ revolution you and Elliot came up with is nothing more than death and disaster.” Darlene breaks under the weight of Dom’s monstrous words, the agony that surfaces makes her knees weak, she lets out a broken sob of despair.

“Dom, don’t… _Please._ ” Darlene rasps, trying to take in a solid breath as her lungs constrict, her chest tightening in unfiltered guilt.

“If you have a death wish, go ahead. I can’t help you. If the Dark Army finds out about this, that I knew and kept it from them, my family is dead. You’re essentially _murdering_ my family. My fucking family, Darlene. You of all people should know what that feels like, all the disgusting things you’ve done to protect your brother.” Dom turns around and reaches for the door handle, willing herself to keep the tears that threaten to burst from her eyes at bay. She lets herself look at Darlene, studying her, memorizing every feature that has attributed to this venerability of fondness she feels for her.

“Get _out._ ” Dom heaves the door open and shuts her eyes tightly. Her heart breaking at the sounds of slow footsteps, Darlene dragging her way out of her apartment with a sorrow she knows Darlene is trying to contain.

 

* * *

 

Movement out of the corner of his eye catches his attention, a small figure, a woman, appears out from what he knows is Dom’s apartment building, she lingers below a street lamp, pacing against the pavement. It takes him a moment, in consequence of the unfortunate lighting, but eventually he recognizes her, Darlene, Elliot's sister. She makes determined strides back to the entrance of the building and then stops mid-step, spinning around forcefully, changing her mind before she can make it back inside. He sips on his milkshake and watches her fall apart in the street, pulling at her hair, the distress obvious in her actions. She stomps off in a storm of devastation, heading in the direction of what he assumes must be a subway station. 

“Interesting… _Very_ interesting.” Irving places his milkshake in the cupholder of his car and starts the engine, pulling away from the curb. The scene that played out before his eyes rearranging his plans for the night entirely. 


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The best chance she has of finding Darlene is here, she thinks, nervously juggling a bouquet of flowers with one hand as the other reaches up to knock. She feels like an awkward teenager, she knows she must look like one as well, unable to remember the last time she bought flowers for anyone.

She doesn’t notice straight away. On some level, subconsciously, she’s sure there have been signs she’s glanced over, the prickling sensation at the back of her neck that Dom’s been too distracted to detect. Frequent déjà vu occurrences, strangers who should be strangers appearing _familiar_ , like she’s passed them in the street before, in one way or another. Usually, in her line of work, she’d pay close attention to the coincidences, coming together to add up to something that’s not so coincidental at all. Dom’s mind has been cloudy at best, scenarios playing on loop non-stop, triggering her fight or flight instincts during the most basic of tasks. 

It comes together one day, in a blinding _‘oh shit_ ’ moment as she’s buying groceries, trailing up and down the aisles, throwing a random assortment of things into her shopping cart with no sense of necessity or care. Her phone buzzes in her pocket, she decides to ignore it, her attention occupied in her pursuit of locating some sugar riddled cereal. Dom’s mid-reach for the unhealthiest looking box when she spots a man watching her from the end of the aisle. His face she _knows,_ she can’t work out how or why or where from. She smiles at him politely, feeling awkward and places the cereal in her cart, steering it off towards the next row of stuff she doesn’t actually need.

As Dom turns the corner, she freezes. A face she will never be able to burn out of her brain stands in her path. Dom moves to back out slowly, she’s not sure why, there’s nowhere to run, no getting away from him and the inevitable. The unknown man she passed at the end of the previous aisle is behind her now, trapping her only exit. 

“We have a lot to catch up on, miss. I’ll get these, it’s on me.” Irving says casually, pointing at the items in her cart, pulling his wallet from his pocket, nonchalantly flipping through bills. Dom follows him to the checkout, looking nervously over her shoulder.

“I don’t know if you’re a stickler for checking your phone, love it or hate it, that’s technology these days, you know? My point is, I’ve sent you through something that might be of great interest to you, dollface.” Irving says to Dom out of the corner of his mouth, flashing a friendly smile at the cashier. 

Dom pulls her phone from her pocket, noting pictures messages from an unknown number. She squints at the images, until it clicks, her whole body erupting in dread. Her mom’s house in Philly. She scrolls down, the next is her brother’s, after that a picture of her nephew playing on a jungle gym, the last image is of Darlene looking tormented outside what she can deduce is Elliot’s apartment building. She gapes at Irving in horror as he hands cash over and picks up her groceries, the man behind her grabbing the rest.

“And they say chivalry is dead.” Irving says, winking at the cashier.

 

* * *

 

  
Irving sits in the backseat with her, sipping on his number one dad mug, being driven by the silent man. The blood pumping through Dom’s veins feels like ice, freezing her from the inside out. She closes her eyes as a chant roars to life in her head, _‘kill me, don’t kill them’_ repeats over and over again. The continuous loop breaking when Irving clears his throat to speak.

“Now, sweetheart, I have some questions that need to be answered and you don’t strike me as the dumb type. I know Trudy DiPierro didn’t raise a liar, so we’re going to make this short and sweet.” Dom blinks and stares straight ahead, nodding. Pressure builds, her heart pounds at the thought of her family being harmed over one wrong answer bears down on her.

“That little miss with the attitude problem, Darlene is it? How well do you know her?” Irving’s tone is conversational, aiming for relaxed, but it has the opposite effect on Dom.

“She was our CHS.” Dom says, breathing in and out calmly, she steels her resolve, hoping that she can collect herself enough to avoid giving him a reaction, something he can work with.

“Sure, sure. See, I thought with the pictures you received earlier you’d be a touch more _forthcoming_ with information…” Dom glances over at him, his brow furrowed in contemplation, she realizes very quickly that he’s testing her with a subtle show of power, he already knows something.

“We… Darlene and I, we are…” Dom stutters, not knowing how to handle this, what angle he could possibly manipulate. He stares at Dom, growing more impatient with her as seconds of silence tick on. She goes for the safest answer, a half-truth that explains why they are continuing to drift in and out of each others lives. 

“We are lovers? It’s complicated.” Irving raises his eyebrows, the first indication of surprise she’s seen on his face, the thought comforts her, he doesn’t know everything.

“Oh, I bet. Congratulations, young love is a beautiful thing.” Dom nearly chokes on her breath and Irving looks over at her curiously. She can see his mind working, weighing up his next words.

“I was going to pay you a visit the other night, was in the neighborhood… I spotted her leaving, she looked rather upset. Lovers quarrel?” Irving taps the driver on the shoulder, indicating to pull over, Dom notes that they are approaching her building, the tense atmosphere in the car distracting her from the journey. 

“I guess. Things between us aren’t… easy.” Dom states, hand extending out for the door handle, halting her movements when Irving speaks up.

“I’m going to give you some relationship advice, call it… _valuable guidance_ , I usually don’t hand out gems like this to just anyone. I would suggest you buy her flowers, chocolates, show her you appreciate her, you know? Make it up to her. Tell her how much you care.” The confusion in Dom’s face is evident, she tightens her grasp on the hard plastic of the handle as the driver gets out, unloading the groceries from the trunk and disappearing inside her apartment building with the bags. Irving must sense the question that’s sitting on the tip of her tongue. _Why?_

“The Alderson siblings can be difficult to work with, there’s no trust between us, it’s a shame really, that rebellious stunt they pulled, reversing the five nine hack. How _juvenile_. The thing is, Dom, we need them and I’d be grateful for another pair of eyes, to fill me in whenever they are feeling like they want to… _act out_.” Irving finishes with a patronizing smile, as if he’s put forward the most obvious and straightforward clarification. 

Dom understands what he is instructing her to do and she feels dirty all over, disgusted with herself. She’s been conned from the start, from the very first moment she saw him in the middle of the aisle. Tricked into thinking she had the tiniest amount of control over what information she was providing to him and proven wrong so promptly. Dom gets out of the car, slamming the door. She had sat in her apartment with her head in her hands for hours, contemplating her options and coming up with nothing. She doesn’t have a choice.

 

* * *

 

  
The best chance she has of finding Darlene is here, she thinks, nervously juggling a bouquet of flowers with one hand as the other reaches up to knock. She feels like an awkward teenager, she _knows_ she must look like one as well, unable to remember the last time she bought flowers for _anyone_.

The door opens and she’s met with Elliot’s emotionless face, looking her up and down, making no move to invite her inside as he stares at Dom expectantly.

“Hey, uh, is Darlene around? I don’t know where to find her and I thought you might know.” Dom barely resists the urge to ramble under his skeptical stare, trying to come across as calm. 

“No, she’s not.” Elliot replies, unwavering. Dom’s face falls and she scratches the back of her neck out of habit, clutching the flowers tightly as she feels her anxiety rise. 

“Look, I messed up, I don’t know if you know anything or… It’s just, I wanted to apologize properly, well at least try to. I shouldn’t have said what I said and I feel horrible about it. So, if it’s alright, can you tell her that I’m sorry? Please.” Dom hands over the bouquet, placing it in Elliot’s arms awkwardly.

“And give her these? There’s a card.” She points to the small envelope that rests in the middle of the arrangement, taking a step back out of Elliot’s personal space. He nods at her in acknowledgement. Dom turns to leave, Elliot’s voice stopping her before she makes it out of the hallway.

“I’ll tell Darlene. And… I’m sorry. For everything. Thank you, for Sentinel, you didn’t have to, but you did.” Elliot says in a soft voice, his eyes shining with genuine kindness. She waves him off, like it was nothing and walks towards the stairs, the expression on her face shifts from hope to hopelessness the instant she’s out of his view.

 

* * *

 

  
Darlene walks into Elliot’s apartment and drops her bag on the couch, slumping down beside it, sighing loudly. Her eyes are drawn to the bouquet of flowers sitting on the kitchen counter.

“Do you have a secret admirer I don’t know about? Tyrell doesn’t count, that's not a secret at all.” Darlene teases, her tired limbs complaining as she gets up from the couch, curiosity getting the better of her. 

“They are for you.” Elliot says, distractedly, fingers typing hastily as his gaze sweeps furiously over his computer screen. Darlene raises an eyebrow and lazes her way to the counter, carefully plucking the envelope from between the thorny stems. She tugs the card out and flips it open, her fingers mindlessly trace the petals of her flowers, white roses, as she reads.

_I’m In._  
_— Girl Scout._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i wrote this surprisingly quickly and thought i'd be better off posting it instead of holding onto it. next chapter will be longer. thanks for reading! :)


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dom has no doubt in her mind that Irving will be keeping her close, working for the best interest of White Rose and her plans in the Congo. Managing Darlene as a source was frustrating, her erratic behaviour and loyalty to her brother complicated their interactions, compromizing most of the information Darlene gave them. Dom can’t even begin to imagine White Rose’s uneasiness at having to rely on Elliot, if she has the capacity to feel any sort of human emotion at all, that is.

Darlene agrees to meet, eventually. Dom is pleased that she’s hung onto the burner phone that the FBI provided for her as a CHS, their only safe form of contact during Darlene’s absences. She messages Darlene a few times, over three separate days, until she’s able to get a response, which saves Dom the stress of tracking her down. Dom doesn’t want to pressure and keeps her replies short and to the point, giving Darlene time to consider whether she wants to meet up, to talk. 

She pushes for neutral territory, which eliminates Dom’s apartment and the usual bar so Dom decides on a park that sits halfway between them. It’s somewhere semi public, private enough to talk without being overheard and public enough to be seen, just incase the Dark Army are following and checking up on her. She travels there from the agency after her work day is done, stopping at a corner store for a lollipop and a 5-hour energy drink. Dom adjusts her stiff blazer, debating whether to ditch the uncomfortable thing altogether and sits on the steel park bench. 

Dom has no doubt in her mind that Irving will be keeping her close, working for the best interest of White Rose and her plans in the Congo. Managing Darlene as a source was frustrating, her erratic behaviour and loyalty to her brother complicated their interactions, compromizing most of the information Darlene gave them. Dom can’t even begin to imagine White Rose’s uneasiness at having to rely on Elliot, if she has the capacity to feel any sort of human emotion at all, that is. 

The tips of her fingers tingle in the cold, she rubs her hands together and bounces her leg, the potent caffeine drink she’s dosed herself with on the way here thrums wildly through her system. Dom notices a figure in the darkness, winding it’s way towards her on the concrete path beneath the dim park lights. 

Irving’s instructions were set, his threatening monologue giving her enough incentive to do as he asked. It doesn’t escape her how the universe seems to be mocking her, shoving her violently into the same position Darlene was in months ago. Dom is struck by how underprepared she is, how torn she feels when she assesses her lack of choices.

“A penny for your thoughts?” Darlene takes a seat on the bench, shuffling closer to Dom, her body in search of warmth as the cold steel presses against her legs. Dom sighs and shoots Darlene a weary smile, the features on her face holding no energy or light behind them, despite the unhealthy amount of caffeine and sugar she’s consumed today.

“That bad, huh?” Darlene says, bumping her shoulder into Dom’s out of sympathy. Darlene’s week long ache, as a result of Dom’s cruel words, had begun to ease the minute she had laid eyes on Dom sitting on her own in the middle of the park, waiting for her. Now, as she leans involuntarily into the soft body beside her, the sting unravels completely at the sight of Dom’s internal torment. 

They sit in silence and Darlene let’s Dom breathe, both getting lost in the tranquility of the night, a small frost starting to gather on the blades of grass, the flutterings of a moth floating around the park light, drawn by the artificial glow as it abandons its course to the moon. Darlene shivers, she had taken a few days to plan this out, turning her mind over as the roses Dom gave her wilted slowly. 

She had known asking Dom about the Dark Army was never going to end well for either of them. Darlene cringing as she recalls completely mishandling the situation, fresh in her mind. She reasons with herself, that she couldn’t have possibly predicted her reaction as she spoke to Dom, the way her soul seemed to sing as she floundered at Dom’s adorable disposition. This feeling is _childish_ and Darlene expects more from herself given all that she’s been through, all that they’ve been through. 

“You made quite the impression on Elliot.” Darlene says, glancing at Dom from the corner of her eye, too close for her to be turning her head to fully engage. Dom hums out of curiosity, waiting for Darlene to continue. A part of her feels weird that she hasn’t spoken yet, but the majority of Dom is relieved, peaceful, treasuring the stillness in the moment.

“I think you are one of the only people who can be almost as awkward as he is, the relatable weirdo alien, two personalities type thing. He digs it.” Dom rolls her eyes and chuckles, nudging Darlene as she lets a contented sigh slip past her lips.

“I heard about your ‘I care about Darlene’ speech.” Darlene says and leans back, slouching against the back of the bench. Dom’s body follows, reconnecting the timid touch of their shoulders, turning to look at Darlene.

“That’s _not_ what I said.” Dom divulges, her eyes narrowing at Darlene playfully. 

“It speaks!” Darlene exclaims, so loudly that it startles Dom. Darlene laughs evilly at the reaction. 

“And really, dude? That’s what you’re going with? What a mood killer.” Darlene continues on with, she huffs and crosses her arms, taking mock offence at Dom’s words. 

“I do care, but it wasn’t part of my speech. It was _implied_. Facts are important, Darlene.” As Dom finishes speaking Darlene makes a long drawn out _‘oh’_ sound and they fall into comfortable silence again. 

Dom can’t stand the thought of deception, that she is pulling the strings and Darlene is dancing underneath her fingertips. She’s thought about the loopholes, to give Irving what he wants without compromising who she is. Dom wants this, she wants Darlene and she’s tired of snaking around every obstacle that stands in her path. She has suffered, she’s acutely aware that she will continue to suffer but Dom is determined to fight against the Dark Army, in any tiny way she can. 

“So, white roses? That was an ominous choice.” Dom gently tugs on the arms that are folded against Darlene’s chest, pulling her hand free so she can lace their fingers together, Darlene doesn’t fight her, allowing the contact. Darlene gives the hand intertwined with hers a squeeze, to show Dom that it’s okay, caressing the skin underneath her thumb with soothing steady strokes. 

“I thought you’d appreciate the dramatics.” Dom mumbles, feeling embarrassed that she had taken intimidating ‘relationship advice’ from a psychopath. Her eyes sweep the park, checking for a sign that they are being watched and coming up with nothing, she isn’t relieved however, she knows the Dark Army are better than that. 

“I did.” Darlene lets her head drop to Dom’s shoulder, breathing in and out, watching the puffs of fog her breath is creating disappear into the cold night. 

“Irving graced me with his presence a few days ago and gave me some pretty specific instructions. For awhile there I thought they had forgotten about me, that I wasn’t going to be any use to them.” Dom says, resting her chin against the top of Darlene’s head.

“They, he, wants me to get close to you. Just like this.” Dom flexes her fingers that are wrapped up in Darlene’s, indicating at the intimacy. Darlene doesn’t flinch at her statement, doesn't try to pull away and Dom is surprised by the non reaction. 

“He questioned me about us and the only excuse I could come up with was that we were— are _lovers_.” Darlene snorts at how awkward and foreign Dom makes the word ‘lovers’ sound.

“Understandable. What are you going to do?” Darlene leans back, nervously chewing on her bottom lip, overwhelmed by the urge to study Dom’s face as she waits for the answer. 

“There’s not much I can do, Darlene. It’s all I’ve been able to think about. I want my family to be safe, but… I need it to be over. They’ll never be safe as long as the Dark Army have their claws in me. You were right.” Dom struggles to get the words out of her mouth, airing the risk she’s about to take aloud feels like she’s plunging head first into freezing cold water. She closes her eyes, internally at war with putting her trust in Darlene, the person who has caused so much destruction. 

Darlene blinks slowly in astonishment, her mind completely short-circuiting as she absorbs what Dom is telling her. She is inundated with a wave of affection for Dom, this awkward idiot who is _trying_ despite what has been thrown at her. After everything she has put Dom through, she’s not fighting against her, Dom is willing to risk everything to fight beside her, _for_ her. Being as brave and strong and good as much as she can, and it blows Darlene away. 

“I’ll lie to Irving, get him to believe I’m doing everything he wants me to do, feed him information irrelevant to our plans so he thinks— ” Darlene cuts Dom off by grabbing at the collar of her blazer, pulling her in close.

“My brain is melting right now and I’m freaking out, in a _good_ way. Can I just…” Darlene lets her gaze drop to Dom’s mouth, hoping she’ll get the message. 

“Oh? Oh! You don’t have to ask, I mean, it’s nice that you did but—” Darlene doesn’t wait for Dom to stop rambling, she’s learnt that in scenarios like this Dom babbles for a lot longer than usual. She smiles as she leans in, silencing her. Dom lets out a quiet ‘mmmph’ noise into Darlene’s mouth.

Darlene tugs the collar in her grasp harder, her tongue drifts past Dom’s lips, deepening the kiss in an attempt to leave Dom as breathless as she feels. Dom slides her arm along the top of the park bench so she can hold Darlene closer against her body.

“You taste like sugar.” Darlene mutters observationally, letting her mouth wander indulgently, her lips travel from the corner of Dom’s mouth to her cheekbone, peppering kisses wherever her lips land. Dom hums approvingly at the attention, sliding the hand that was tangled in Darlene’s up and into her soft hair. 

“Lollipops, it’s my thing.” Dom says, her attention being drawn to a middle aged couple she can see past Darlene’s shoulder, walking their dog up the concrete path of the park, eyeing Darlene and Dom disapprovingly. Darlene turns to look at what has taken Dom’s interest, noticing the judgemental stares being thrown their way. Darlene waves and smiles obnoxiously at them, turning her head back around to face Dom again and pulls her in roughly, making a show of kissing her as Dom enthusiastically goes along with Darlene’s performance. 

“Maybe they are spies for Irving, you better make this look convincing.” Darlene teases, restraining herself from straddling Dom on the bench. Dom laughs despite the mention of his name, the impending doom she feels whenever it’s brought up. 

“Do you want to come back to my apartment?” Dom asks, playing with wayward strands of Darlene’s hair, running her fingers through them, smoothing the unruly locks that have fallen out of place. 

“How about you come back to mine?” Darlene counters, kissing the palm that’s resting against her face, staring Dom down. 

“Where?” Dom, questions, willingly giving in after not putting up any kind of fight at all. 

“Across the hall from Elliot’s place… It’s not much, I haven’t settled in, but it's something. You and Elliot can talk, if that’s okay with you? He wants to tell you about the plan in detail, get you filled in, see what info you can give him that he doesn’t already have, all of that.” Darlene says, pressing a kiss to Dom’s cheek when Dom nods in agreement. Dom moves to stand up, holding her hand out for Darlene to take, which she does without hesitation. 

“And after…” Darlene trails off, lacing their fingers together as they both amble up the path, bumping into each other carelessly with every couple of steps they take. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> a bit less angtsy compared to the last couple, i thought they deserved it. thanks for reading. :)


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Are you sure?” Darlene’s eyes study Dom carefully, “I want you to know that you can back out now and do what you need to do, I won’t stand in your way.” Darlene runs her hand down Dom’s arm, the touch light and reassuring. She’s never been a touchy feely person, never felt the need to drape herself over a significant (or insignificant) other. This thing she’s starting with Dom, whatever it is, has her considering lifting her limits she'd set for acceptable affection.

“You ready?” Darlene asks, her hand hangs suspended in mid-air, hesitating before she can unlock Elliot’s front door. She can hear mutterings of voices inside, Tyrell and Angela she figures. Darlene turns to face Dom, looking for any signs of uncertainty, the apartment keys dangling loosely in her grip.

“Are you sure?” Darlene’s eyes study Dom carefully, “I want you to know that you can back out now and do what you need to do, I won’t stand in your way.” Darlene runs her hand down Dom’s arm, the touch light and reassuring. She’s never been a touchy feely person, never felt the need to drape herself over a significant (or insignificant) other. This _thing_ she’s starting with Dom, whatever it is, has her considering lifting her limits she'd set for acceptable affection.  
  
“This is what I need to do. I’m sure.” Dom says, squeezing the hand that’s drifted into her palm. Darlene sways towards Dom, but holds herself back before she gets too close. Dom nods her head in understanding and offers Darlene a small smile, pushing at her so she spins around, helping to curve her focus back to getting through the front door, to Elliot.

“Alright, alright, I’m going already.” Darlene jingles the keys, lifting them up to the lock at a snails pace, drawing out the action annoyingly. Dom groans in disapproval and rolls her eyes, her hand making an unsuccessful grab for the keys.

“ _Darlene…_ ”

“Hear me out. This could be an all night thing…” Darlene whines and spins back around, Dom huffs and runs a hand through her hair. She’s anxious enough about finding out what Elliot has in store for them, this plan that she’s risking her life and her family’s lives for.

“I know this was my idea, but… I was thinking…” Darlene walks her free fingers up Dom’s arm, waking the skin underneath her touch with involuntary goosebumps, watching on as Dom’s expression changes from annoyed to curious.  
  
“We don’t have to do this tonight. We could walk straight into my apartment,” Darlene motions over Dom’s shoulder to her front door, Dom’s eyes darting to follow the direction of her finger, “And forget that we are in this, forget about the plan and the Dark Army and everything we’ve put each other through. For one night. We can just be two _jersey_ girls, hanging out, making out. Whatever.” Darlene finishes and Dom successfully plucks the keys out of Darlene’s hand and tucks them into the pocket of her blazer. She spins Darlene so she’s facing away from her, towards Elliot’s door. Dom wraps her arms around Darlene to hold her still, Darlene tries to wriggle out of the embrace but gives in when Dom unfairly places her lips against her ear and starts to speak.

“I’m starting to get the feeling you have the attention span of a goldfish.” Dom says to the shell of Darlene’s ear, tightening her hold on Darlene as she attempts to break free from her arms.

“Don’t be such an asshole. Think about it. Every time we’re doing sort of okay something blows up in our faces. I’m all about delaying the inevitable right now.” Darlene lets her head fall backwards against the shoulder behind her, tilting her face towards Dom’s.  
  
“Admit it, I’ve got a point.” Darlene says staring up at Dom from an awkward angle.

“You do.” Dom mutters, avoiding eye contact with Darlene, her face far too close for the ‘ _we have so much to do and your brother is on the other side of that door_ ’ interactions Dom is aiming for currently. Dom had thought facing Darlene in the opposite direction and wrapping her up in her arms would have been the best bet to avoid making out in a hallway, apparently she was wrong.  
  
“I’m not trying to psychoanalyse you or anything. It’s just… Are _you_ sure about this? Because I’m ready and it seems like you aren’t.” Dom says peering down quickly, trying to read Darlene's reaction.  
  
Darlene squints at Dom. “Of course I am.” She tries to spin around in Dom’s arms to no avail and sighs heavily in defeat. Seconds of silence tick by and she knows Dom is waiting for her to continue, that she’s been caught out.  
  
“It’s going to change again after this and I guarantee it's gonna happen like it always does. A few little things here and there which rapidly transform into a monumental monsoon of bullshit. I’m so over it. We _will_ go in there, we _will_ follow this plan and we _will_ risk our lives, no big deal right? I’m tired.” Dom relents her hold at the tone in Darlene’s voice, turning her back around gently.

“Dom, I like you. I really fucking do. I want to get a chance to appreciate feeling like this before it’s fucked up again.”

“Okay.”

“Okay, what?” Darlene asks, grateful she is no longer being prevented from distracting Dom front on. She understands where Dom is coming from, but they both know they can’t stay away from one another for too long, in one way or another.  
  
“Appreciate the feeling. Appreciate me.” Dom speaks, in a way that makes it seem like it’s the most obvious answer, the only solution, plain as day. Darlene raises her eyebrows and a grin forms from the corner of her mouth.

“The inevitable can wait?” Darlene asks, sinking into Dom’s kind eyes, finding something new every single time they do this, the push and pull. She feels so overwhelmed by their mutual understanding, the impatient need for something _good_.

“Of course it can.” Darlene presses against Dom, letting her body fall against the solid one standing right in front of her, knowing without a doubt that she’ll be caught. She nudges Dom back with needy hands on her stomach, walking her backwards away from Elliot’s apartment and further through the hallway, towards her door.  
  
“Is that a gun in your pocket or are you just happy to see me?” Darlene smirks, tugging Dom’s blazer past her shoulders as they move closer to her apartment, trapping Dom’s arms by her side, limbs tangling in Darlene’s sloppy attempt to strip her of the item.

“You know it’s a gun, Darlene. I really should’ve stopped by my place to put it away. I could’ve picked up my melatonin at the same time, I have the worst sleep at the moment. Actually I don’t know how many of them I’ve got left, maybe I need to go past the pharmacy tomorrow…”

“Oh my god.” Darlene pushes the rest of Dom’s blazer free, fishing through the pockets until she finds her keys. She slings Dom’s blazer over her shoulder and swings the keys in her fingers, looping over and over, staring at Dom in disbelief.  
  
“And I thought I told you last time, keep the gun on. Can you please keep the gun on?” Darlene winks and shoots Dom a wry smile. Dom grabs Darlene by the waist and pins her to the spot she’s standing with a heated stare. She leans in closer, watching carefully as Darlene’s eyes follow her movements.

Dom runs her hand through Darlene’s hair and snags it roughly, drawing Darlene's face closer to her lips, right where she wants her, setting a trap. Dom can hear Darlene’s breathing quicken under the sharp attention and she smirks at the sound, Dom presses a light kiss on the side of Darlene’s neck, lacing it with a hint of teeth as she shifts her mouth up to Darlene’s ear, dragging the moment out for as long as she can.  
  
“ _No._ ” Dom says, laughter coating her voice.

“You are such a fucking tease.” Darlene hits Dom lightly in the chest and shoves her backwards with no real strength behind it.  
  
“And you ar—” Dom stops in the middle of her sentence, snatched out of the moment by loud engine noise roaring loudly from the street outside, her mind works quickly trying to place the sounds. Motorbikes and car doors slamming. Her stomach twists, intuition telling her that something just isn’t right.  
  
“Get inside your apartment now.” Dom pulls the gun she keeps at her hip from the holster and stands in front of Darlene, covering her as she fumbles with the keys.

Dom’s nerve endings twitch, adrenaline pumping through her system furiously. “Hurry up, Darlene.” Thundering boots echo from downstairs, getting louder and louder with every failed attempt Darlene takes to get her door unlocked.  
  
“Elliot. We need to warn them, help them.” Darlene begs, finally succeeding opening the door.  
  
“They need him. If they catch us all together in one place we won't be able to explain our way out of it. Dark Army wouldn't give us the chance.” Dom shoves Darlene through the door and she follows immediately after, shutting it as quickly and as quietly as she can manage. She keeps her gun drawn as she stands behind the door, watching through the peephole. A flood of black storms the hallway in a whirlwind.

Dom glances over to where Darlene is standing, her face distorted with shock. Dom takes a deep breath, making a snap decision she reaches for the door handle and tightens her grip on the gun. She squares her shoulders, twisting the handle.

She is stopped instantly by a hand that covers her own, clawing at her skin. Darlene’s desperate voice rings in the small space between them.

“Don’t you fucking dare.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this week has been hectic and tomorrow im going away for a few days, so i thought i'd pop this up now while i can and make it up to everyone with a longer chapter for the next one. thanks for reading! :)


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “What’s the plan?” Dom’s firm voice shakes Darlene, a stark contrast to the bleak silence they’ve been waiting in.
> 
> “Isn’t that your thing? Rescues and dicey escapes are part of your wheelhouse, not mine.” Darlene keeps her voice low, being discovered now would put both of them in danger, she has had enough experience with these sorts of situations to know that’s not a good idea.

Darlene’s hand tightens it's hold on Dom’s in concern, she can feel Dom's fingers flex underneath her palm and Darlene's pulse quickens at the movement. She flicks Dom’s blazer from where it’s hanging off her shoulder and kicks it across the floor. 

"Don't do this. You have no fucking idea how much I want to help Elliot but this is stupid, you  _jus_ t told me that we wouldn't be able to explain our way out of it." Darlene whispers harshly, prying Dom's fingers off the door handle one by one in an attempt to break her train of thought, to snap her out of this brain dead idea she’s thrown herself into. Dom hesitates and sucks a sharp breath in past her teeth as she cautiously lowers her gun.

Darlene sighs heavily in relief and crosses her arms in front of her chest, her eyes darting across to Dom as they stand together in the small space where they have cornered themselves, silence swallowing both of them whole, ears straining in an effort to get a sign of what could be happening down the hall. 

Dom is able to identify the muffled noises of raised voices, boots thudding on wooden floorboards. She tightens the grip on her gun, keeps it aimed towards the floor in an attempt not to startle Darlene more than what she already has. Dom’s mind thunders and roars, mimicking the beat of her heart, playing catch up with the rush of terror and fury that surged with the arrival of motorbikes and darkness. 

“What’s the plan?” Dom’s firm voice shakes Darlene, a stark contrast to the bleak silence they’ve been waiting in. 

“Isn’t that your thing? Rescues and dicey escapes are part of your wheelhouse, not mine.” Darlene keeps her voice low, being discovered now would put both of them in danger, she has had enough experience with these sorts of situations to know that’s not a good idea. 

Through the peephole in the door Dom keeps her eye trained to the limited view of the hallway, nervously tapping her finger faintly against the trigger of the gun. 

Usually, she would find Darlene’s snark charming, the magnetic genuineness that seeps it’s way in through her skin, swimming languidly throughout her limbs whenever she’s around Darlene, a captivating nihilism that warms Dom from the inside out. But under these circumstances Dom finds it distracting, she needs hard facts that aren’t laced with sarcasm. Dom groans in frustration and Darlene’s eyes drift towards the noise, shrugging.

“Not that plan.” Darlene is almost offended by the way Dom huffs out her words, like she’s expecting her to read Dom's mind. Darlene notes how tense she looks, the way her shoulders roll trying to shake off the tension, her fingers twitching on the trigger of her gun. 

“Ease up, okay?” She places a hand at the small of Dom’s back, the muscles underneath her palm contract, the ripples send the feeling of uneasinesses shooting up Darlene’s arm at the contact, like a contagion transmitted through touch.

Dom flinches at sudden noise from down the hall, Tyrell’s obscured voice loudly arguing. She breathes deeply and focuses on Darlene’s hand at her back, grounding her and keeping her locked stagnant in her place behind the door.

“Elliot owns the Dark Army. I’m guessing you remember most of his spiel from the barn?” Dom nods in acknowledgement and Darlene leans closer, silently wishing that Dom would put the gun back in it’s holster. She appreciates the protection that Dom is wordlessly offering her, but Darlene’s concern grows with every glance she steals of the weapon. 

“He owns more than they think he does. He can end White Rose. Release a whole bunch of sensitive information she never thought would see the light of day, mess with her plans,” Darlene says in a soft voice, angling her face up to speak directly to Dom’s ear, “We're going for the divide and conquer deal.”

“You make it sound so easy.” Dom turns to look at Darlene, _really_ look at her, in what is the first time since she’d hurriedly dragged Darlene into her apartment. Darlene slides her hand around from the small of Dom’s back to rest low on her hip, her other hand settles on top of Dom’s gun, slowly pushing the barrel to point directly at the floor. 

“It can be.” Dom relaxes a fraction at Darlene’s words and tucks the gun she’s been strangling back into the holster at her hip. She stays alert, listening for any commotion coming from the hallway outside, keeping her gaze fixed on Darlene for the time being. 

“I don’t see it working, Darlene. I’m fucking FBI and I can’t do anything about it, the bureau don’t have a clue about how deep this goes. How much power White Rose actually has.” Dom says, her arms awkwardly dangling at her sides, torn between wanting to return the soft comforting touch Darlene is providing and worrying that she might accidentally hurt her, the adrenaline pumping throughout her system wreaking havoc within her tired body. 

“If we distract the Dark Army, scatter them in every direction we will have enough space to cut the head off the snake. They won’t have time to send head hunting death squads for your family,” Dom gulps at Darlene’s statement, another reality check about what she’s involved in weighing heavily above her head. “They’ll be too preoccupied with protecting themselves.”

“Anyway, we’ll time it right, get your family out of harms way before we strike. A vacation, something less suspicious in case the Dark Army are watching. You could go with them, keep them safe.” Darlene gently reaches up, places her hands on either side Dom’s face and stares. She’s convinced Dom to be a part of this, now she focused on getting Dom to trust her, to make Dom believe that she would never ever willingly let something or someone cause her anymore pain, herself included. 

Dom does nothing to stop Darlene drawing her in, the firm press of Darlene’s lips against her own soothes and stirs simultaneously. Dom wonders briefly if she’ll be able to grow tired of this feeling, the instant she feels Darlene’s tongue slide into her mouth Dom comes to the realisation that she won’t ever stop wanting this, get over this. 

“Spot fires.” Dom mumbles, the words catching in Darlene’s mouth as she moves in to kiss her again. Darlene hums, encouraging Dom to elaborate, slowing the kiss down to allow Dom an opportunity to speak.

“Ember attacks.” Dom utters out factually with a straight face, offering Darlene different terminology in the hopes she’ll understand. Darlene rolls her eyes and takes her hands from Dom’s face, deciding to wrap her arms around Dom’s waist instead. 

“A fire started by flying sparks or embers at a distance from the main fire.” Darlene picks up on what Dom is telling her, the agent brain inside her skull rationalising their strategy. She thinks back to Dom’s intimidating python approach diatribe, the painful and blazing beginning of them, something aching and devastatingly real. “It’s… Smart.” Dom finishes and watches the shy beaming smile spread across Darlene’s face.

“Thanks, dude. It was my idea.” Darlene punches Dom lightly on the shoulder, right above her collarbone and ducks her head to hide the blush forming on her cheeks, not used to the easy and honest praise. 

A loud bang and shouting draws their attention back to what is happening just a few doors down. Before Darlene has the chance to even blink Dom spins around, pulling the gun from her hip, grabbing at the handle of the door. She tries to heave it open and is stopped by Darlene slamming her hand on the doorframe, keeping it trapped shut.

“Do you have a death wish? Seriously, Dom. What the fuck is wrong with you?” Darlene pokes at Dom aggressively and her skin crawls with anxiety, she wants to wrench Dom back, to throw her to the other side of the room. “ _Fucking_ hell.” Darlene sighs, feeling like she's aged ten years in the space of five minutes as she runs a hand through her hair.

If the circumstances were different, if they weren’t in a life or death situation Darlene is sure she would take her frustration out on Dom, use her body to distract both of them from worry and pain. Darlene _knows_ she shouldn’t be thinking about that now, but the thoughts creep in regardless, she vividly remembers being tangled up in Dom, the way it had taken her to another plane of existence entirely, soft and sure, temporarily wiping her mind of the mission of deception and theft.

Dom closes her eyes and breathes in and out steadily. “I’m sorry, I find it hard not to… We’re just standing around and I—” The sound of a door opening in the hall breaks Dom’s sentence, feet stomping in the corridor snagging their attention. Darlene scrambles to push in front of Dom, determined to get a glance out of the peephole, figuring she can prevent Dom from doing anything moronically heroic the longer she lingers there.

“Get out of the way.” Dom growls, trying to shove Darlene to the side with one arm and failing. With her gun Dom motions for Darlene to move away from the door and Darlene completely ignores her, refusing to turn away from the limited view she has. 

Angela appears, Tyrell trailing behind her. Darlene watches on as they are lead out of the hallway and down the stairs by two men dressed in black. She’s relieved to see that Angela looks okay, together. Tyrell has a harsh red mark glowing on the side of his cheek, like he’s been hit with something hard and heavy. Dom leans her body into Darlene’s back, pressing against her trying get a glimpse of what’s going on.

“Two guys, Dark Army. Angela and Tyrell, they look alright. I think they are being taken somewhere.” Darlene whispers out of the corner of her mouth, “They must have been meeting up with Elliot, or the Dark Army brought them here. I don’t get it.” Dom scrunches her face in thought at what Darlene is telling her.

“Can you see him? Elliot?” Dom asks, reaching up to flatten her palm on the door, propping herself further into Darlene, sharing the space.

“Nothing yet.” Darlene lets her body sag back into Dom’s, maintaining the position she has in front of her. The cold metal of Dom’s gun brushes against her arm slightly and Darlene recoils away from it. 

“Get that _thing_ away from me.” Darlene hisses, kicking her foot back into Dom’s shin.

“You weren’t complaining about it earlier.” Dom grumbles, hesitant as she holsters her weapon, she can’t blame Darlene for being cautious. With her hand now free from clutching her gun she places it against the door, mirroring the other, one on each side of Darlene’s head. 

“Yes, well… I was under the impression you weren’t going to fire it. It’s a lot less sexy when you have the intention of shooting someone.” Dom smiles despite herself, they can do this, she thinks. Wait this out a little longer. In front of her she hears Darlene’s sharp intake of breath, feel the way her lungs fill up rapidly, “What is it?” Dom asks immediately. 

“Elliot. Irving.” At Darlene’s words Dom drops her head to Darlene’s shoulder, craning her neck downwards to steal Darlene’s view of the hallway. Elliot glances to the door that they are hiding behind and Dom’s stomachs sinks. 

“I don’t know where she is.” Elliot says, blinking at Irving, speaking louder than what would be required for a conversation between the two of them in the hall and Irving smiles nonchalantly, shrugging.

“This would be a lot easier if you helped me here, Elliot. We just need to talk, a group chat. Things get lost in translation, Chinese whispers and all.” Dom can tell Irving is studying Elliot, eyeing every single anxious movement he makes. 

“Dom,” Darlene’s soft whisper draws her attention back into the room, to the warm body she’s connected to, “I’m going out there.” 

Irving lingers, the tension in the hallway bleeds in through the door and hits Dom squarely in the chest. She wills the world to stop for one second, so she can catch her breath and come up with the best way out this situation. A way that doesn't involve Darlene handing herself over to that man.

“No. You can’t—” Dom begins to object and Irving talking in the hallway silences her.

“Give her a call, track her down and we can pick her up, simple. It’s better if we find her, you know how the other guys are… Not as polite.” Irving finishes, and Elliot looks like he’s mulling over the words. Dom knows what it’s like to be on the receiving end of Irving’s threats, she feels a pang of sympathy like a dagger at the torn expression on Elliot’s face.

“I’m going with him.” Darlene slithers her way underneath Dom’s arms and turns to look at her with hard eyes, leaving no room for Dom to hope for compromise on the issue. Darlene watches panic flash across Dom’s features and she reaches out to stroke Dom’s arms, coaxing her to drop the limbs that are obscuring her way out.

“They don’t know, Dom. Whatever this is has nothing to do with us or the plan. The more we know, the better.” Dom understands Darlene’s logic, she’s not wrong, but that doesn’t mean she’s right either.

“I _really_ don’t want you to do this. If you were still my CHS I would strongly advise against this.” Dom rasps and Darlene softens automatically, her face conveying that this is okay, that Dom is making he right choice by letting her go. 

“I know,” Darlene takes a look through the peephole quickly, checking to make sure Elliot and Irving are still in the hallway, she turns her attention back to Dom and pulls her into an embrace, “I definitely had other ideas about how this night was going to end up, _trust_ me.” Dom can hear the smirk in Darlene’s voice and it chips away at the ache that’s settling in her bones. 

“You can stay here until you think the coast is clear, rifle through my belongings, wear something that takes your fancy. Whatever you want to do, Dom.” Darlene says, pulling back, trying to be as casual as she can to ease the tension radiating off Dom.

“I’ll stay here for a little while, but I’ll go home. Keep things appearing normal. Irving may come looking for me as well.” Dom starts backing away from Darlene, putting some space between them so when Darlene starts to open the door she isn’t stopped out of worry and instinct. 

“ _Please_ be careful,” Darlene nods, showing Dom that she’s listening, taking in what she is saying to her, “Do you want this?” Dom taps the gun on her hip and Darlene shakes her head no.

“I want this though.” Darlene crosses the room quickly but quietly and throws her arms around Dom, kissing her as fiercely as she can manage with all the apprehension pooling in her stomach. 

“I’ll be fine, Dom.” Darlene says, and Dom believes her. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> it honestly felt like i'd never get this chapter out, but here it is! this story is nearing the end, possibly one or two more to go. but i'll definitely keep writing for dom & darlene. thanks for reading, the comments and the feedback. :)


	9. Chapter 9

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “She doesn’t tell me anything. We don’t talk, almost all of our interactions are strictly… Well… Physical.” Dom lies, faltering around the words awkwardly, finishing her beer with one long swig, observing Irving as he raises his eyebrows at her admission.

“What’s up, losers?”

The last thing Dom hears clearly is Darlene’s voice, dripping with annoyance as she opens the door and leaves Dom alone in her apartment. After a few tense moments Dom deducts that Irving hasn’t bothered to check whether Darlene was with company, assumes he's too absorbed by the strict instructions White Rose had most likely given him.

She waits an hour, sitting on Darlene’s bed, passing the time by picking apart the events of the night. Dom feels as worried as she expected herself to be, wondering if staying behind and letting Darlene go unaccompanied was the right move. 

A familiar blue flannelette shirt draped over the back of a chair catches her eye and Dom makes her way over to it, stretching out her hand to rub the material between her thumb and forefinger. She doesn’t know _why_ she does it, but Dom picks up the shirt from where it’s hanging carelessly and puts it on, taking her time as she slides her arms through the sleeves. She grabs her work blazer off the floor and places it on Darlene’s now empty makeshift coat-hanger. 

Her eyes sweep the room, absorbing the quirks of Darlene on display, it’s a welcome change from the one sided vulnerability she’s felt with having Darlene invade her apartment, her home, unannounced on multiple occasions. 

There isn’t much to look at, no photo’s or posters hanging on the walls, an unmade bed in the corner and a few worn books littered around it. Cardboard boxes are pushed up against the living room wall and Dom fights off the urge to go through them, to investigate. She can almost picture Darlene breezing through the apartment, floating in and out only to catch up on sleep. She hums agreeably with her own thoughts and turns her attention to the door, her feet creep noiselessly against the wooden floorboards as she moves over to the view of the hallway, looking and listening for anything out of place. 

She figures it’s safe enough, that she’s being as cautious as she possibly can be for the present moment. No sights or sounds strike her as a red flag or a trap. Dom glances over her shoulder at Darlene’s apartment, at her own blazer that now hangs from the chair and steels herself, strategising carefully. After a deep breath Dom twists the handle, walks out the door and starts off towards her own apartment.  


* * *

  
  
Three days pass.

Three whole days of _nothing_.

Three days of going to work, acting normal, making small talk and trying to appear casual as she methodically checks in on new local law enforcement cases, specifically bodies being discovered and possible homicides.

Seventy two hours stretch by and with every minute Dom grows more and more hyper aware of her phone, aching to hear from Darlene, for reassurance that she’s okay, alive. She itches with the need to go back to Darlene’s apartment, but she resists, not wanting to raise suspicions or put both of them in danger. 

When she gets home in the evenings she gets changed, orders take out and asks Alexa to list news and crime statistics from the day. Dom scourers Alexa's report for anything related to murders, shootings or instances that seems out of the ordinary. Despite her vigilance, it turns up nothing. For three whole days.

On the fourth day it changes. Dom goes to work and the awful groundhog day she’s stuck in replays itself. She checks for new cases with victims who bear any likeness to Darlene, listens to her co-workers weekend plans and pretends to be interested.

Acting on impulse Dom stops in at a corner store and picks up a six pack of beer on her way home from work, figuring that being a couple of drinks down while she listens to Alexa rattle off the latest tragedies isn’t going to be a bad thing. She climbs the stairs that lead to her apartment, her exhausted legs protesting the whole way up. 

As she slides her key in the lock Dom wonders for a brief moment when the last time she got a decent night sleep was, she knows she’s been drifting in and out of consciousness the past few days, whether any proper sleep is a part of that remains a mystery.

Dom pushes the door open with a gentle nudge, leading with the beer she’d picked up earlier. She tosses her keys to the end table beside the door and strolls to the kitchen, dropping the six pack to the counter with a loud clunk. The sound of someone clearing their throat startles Dom and she immediately mentally chastises herself for being snuck up on, how she could have missed another person in her apartment. 

“Sorry about the scare, dollface.” Irving says, because of course it’s Irving Dom thinks as she spins around to acknowledge his presence in her apartment calmly, refusing to show any sign of discomfort. She quickly decides that she is not willing to allow this man to intimidate her or distract her from gaining information on Darlene’s whereabouts. 

Irving shifts further into view and Dom plucks two beers from the six pack, holding one out for Irving to take. Unconcerned, he waves her off and she twist the bottle cap with her fingers, throwing the discarded lid to the counter. She waits patiently for him to continue, reveal his agenda, as she takes the first sip, the fizz of it drifting down her throat pleasantly. 

“Long time no see,” Irving smiles, almost appearing to have missed the sight of Dom. She knows that this is all part of his game, the one he’s mastered in the years he’s played puppet for White rose, “I’ve been wondering how you’ve been doing since our last little meet up.” He says, pretending to care, raking his eyes over her home and Dom is _sure_ he is looking for something, a sign of betrayal.

“How do you think?” Dom blinks, she knows he’s not going to find anything here. She too tired for this, too worried. Irving hums and Dom keeps waiting, readying herself for the reason he’s come here. 

“Your girlfriend, Darlene…” Irving starts, it’s a statement that’s intended to gauge Dom’s reaction and she fails to give him one, staying stone faced as she sips on her beer.

“She’s not my _girlfriend_.” Dom grumbles, rolling her eyes as she does her best to calm her heart rate, uneasy about where Irving will go with this. Irving smirks subtly, taking steps towards Dom.

“I took your advice. The flowers, made it up to her. But we aren’t… We never were…” Dom blurts out, uncomfortable with the sudden closeness of the man who has tarnished every aspect of her life. 

“Okay, okay. Semantics.” Irving says, advancing on Dom in the awkward space of the kitchen, “I’d like to remind you that your dalliances with her are _my_ business.” Dom swallows audibly.

“Why are you here?” Dom asks, tilting the neck of her beer towards Irving, not wanting to draw this out for any longer than she absolutely has to. 

“What do you know? I want details and be specific.” He says, his face forms into something Dom assumes is supposed to register as friendly, but his sharp stare sends a chill down her spine. 

“Know about what?” Dom fishes, shrugging her shoulders in an act of subtle defiance. 

“ _Dom…_ ” Irving warns, tutting at her behaviour, “I chose you over Santiago for a reason, do not make me regret my choice. You know what the stakes are.” Irving’s eyes darken, honing in on her, anger brimming around the edges of his gaze. She’s strangely relieved at the sight of it, at the side of him she's more accustomed to.

“She doesn’t tell me anything. We don’t talk, almost all of our interactions are strictly… Well… _Physical_.” Dom lies, faltering around the words awkwardly, finishing her beer with one long swig, observing Irving as he raises his eyebrows at her admission.

“I don’t know what information you thought I was going to gain from her, but Darlene is smart and loyal to her brother. She won’t do _anything_ to put herself or Elliot in the firing line. Not after what happened. What we witnessed together.” Dom continues, turning to place the empty bottle on the counter, stepping back away from Irving. He processes her words, appearing satisfied with what he's hearing.

“So little miss hasn’t mentioned anything related to our intentions? Didn’t accidentally let something slip during one of your sapphic encounters?” Irving asks, his gaze shifting to examine her face, cautious and suspicious. 

When Irving finishes his questioning, Dom feels the harsh and solid weight that's been pressing down on her chest evaporate. The Dark Army are worried, clouded by paranoia, blind to what’s been unfolding right in front of them. She concludes Irving is chasing down a leak somewhere in their ranks and Dom can use that to push him in the opposite direction, away from Darlene. 

“No. Not a word. She wouldn’t risk it.” Dom states, a small smile forming on her lips. Irving nods, happy with the information Dom has provided. He takes a few slow steps backwards and heads towards the door. 

“Where is she?” Dom asks smoothly, managing to hold in the concern that’s surged wildly since they’d taken Darlene, Tyrell, Angela and Elliot. She is vaguely aware she won’t set off any alarm bells, that her not knowing where Darlene is and being curious about it can be explained away by their relationship. Irving sighs, looking over his shoulder to regard Dom.

“I’m starting to wonder whether this convenient courtship means more to you than what you are letting on, Dom. It’s not my place to say, but if curiosity gets the better of you…” Irving grins, winking at Dom like he’s doing her a favour, “Well… You’re a detective, my advice would be to… _Detect_.” He says and leaves, the tension evaporating from Dom’s apartment at his departure.

* * *

   
Dom wants to dig, trawl through the information she can piece together from what Irving has told her and search the streets for the hideout where Darlene has more than likely been taken to, but she resists. The rational side of her mind auguring with her emotions, Darlene is important to Elliot and therefore important to the Dark Army, they wouldn’t jeopardise White Rose’s bigger picture and harm Darlene before what they are orchestrating has been completed. 

On her bed, staring up at the ceiling, Dom thinks about Darlene and her intelligence, a quiet and unassuming kind of smart that blew the preconceived notions Dom had formed about her out of the water. The longer Darlene is with the Dark Army the longer she has to gather knowledge about their operations, which feeds into the tactics Elliot and Darlene are building against them. The thought keeps Dom still, for the moment. 

Alexa’s blue glow distracts Dom from the hole her eyes have been burning in the ceiling. She fiddles with the glasses that are resting on the bridge of her nose, her hair splayed out on her pillow in messy waves. Dom squints in Alexa’s direction, confused as to why the light ring is activated. 

“Alexa, what time is it?” Dom asks, her voice straining with tiredness as she rolls over to face her robotic personal assistant. 

A minute passes and Dom receives no answer so she tries again, louder this time. 

“Alexa. What. Time. Is. It?” She huffs out in annoyance, enunciating every single word obnoxiously. Alexa remains silent, the mocking blue light continues to beam at her and Dom groans.

“Stupid _bitch._ ” Dom swears, giving up. She exhales loudly and rolls away from the source of the light. Dom yawns and pries the glasses off her face, reaching up to place them on the ledge above her bed.

“That’s no way to talk to a lady, girl scout.” Dom jolts, scrambling to sit up at the sound of Darlene’s voice.

“What— Where are you?” Dom asks in confusion as her eyes blink at the darkness, searching for Darlene. 

“I’m on the other side.” Darlene says, drawing out her words with an accent that is meant to imitate Dracula. Dom’s gaze shoots to Alexa, the blue ring lighting up her dark apartment the instant Darlene starts speaking. 

“But. _How?_ ” Dom scoots over to the edge of the bed to get closer to Alexa, staring at it in disbelief. 

“That’s for me to know and for you to never find out,” Darlene answers and Dom can hear the smirk in her voice, “I don’t have much time to talk. Elliot is covering for me.” Dom nervously wrings her hands together and leans forward.

“Are you— Are you okay?” Dom questions, clearing her throat halfway through, overcome with surprise and affection. 

“I’m okay. We’re all okay. I’m not sure how long they are going to keep us here.” Darlene sighs and Dom wants nothing more than to be able to touch her.

“Tell me where you are. I’ll get you out of there.” Dom offers, her tone borderline demanding. 

“Yes, because that wouldn’t suspicious at all.” Darlene drawls sarcastically and Dom rolls her eyes at the sound. 

“Why bother to contact me? Surely you’re not putting yourself at risk just to make fun of me.” Dom states incredulously, her lips quirking up in a grin. 

“Stranger things have happened,” Darlene declares, a low throaty chuckle slipping past her lips, “I’m okay, Dom. Really. I wanted you to know, I gotta make sure that pretty little head of yours isn’t fretting too much.” Dom smiles, Darlene’s teasing tone sending sparks of warmth buzzing inside her body. 

“I would’ve contacted you earlier but this is the first real chance I’ve had.” Darlene adds, clarifying why it’s taken her so long. 

“Thank you,” Dom murmurs, her voice soft, “I’ve been thinking about you. A lot.” 

“Ditto, like you have no fucking _idea._ ” Darlene purrs and Dom runs a thumb over her own bottom lip out of instinct. 

“I have to go. I’m sorry,” Darlene says as shuffling noises coming from Darlene’s end filter through Alexa’s speaker, “I’ll come by the minute this is over. I’ll be back soon I promise.” The sound cuts out abruptly and Dom lets her head sag, covering her face with her hands, the blue light of Alexa fading. 

Unprompted music begins to waft from Alexa, the light blinking back to life unexpectedly, a familiar twang plays, tugging at Dom’s memories. She shakes her head and laughs, her fondness spilling over when she recognises the song Darlene has somehow managed to put on. 

_ ‘Make me an angel that flies from Montgomery, make me a poster of an old rodeo. just give me one thing that I can hold on to…’ _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thanks for reading and being awesome. :)


	10. Chapter 10

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Jesus H. Christ!” Dom exclaims in shock, the weak shout echoing in Dom’s apartment transmits clearly through Alexa and Darlene smiles wickedly at the fright she’s given Dom, tension easing at the familiar voice.
> 
> “You really need to work on your cyber security.” Darlene says, keeping her voice low, trying to avoid alerting the Dark Army guards that are wandering through the warehouse.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i've edited this a bit, i wasn't happy with the way it was before. but it's longer now which is always a bonus, right? hope you like it!

Darlene rocks back in her chair, shooting a glance over to Elliot sitting beside her. She cracks her knuckles and tilts her head back, rotating her neck, stretching the tendons that have been locked stiffly in one place for the last five hours. 

Dark Army soldiers equipped with machine guns are strewn about the warehouse they are held captive in, vigilantly checking the screens Darlene and Elliot have been working on. She’s become accustomed to the menacing looking men and the sound of their footsteps as they wander through the empty space. 

Darlene fixes her unfocused stare upwards, the metal beams in the ceiling providing little relief for her tired eyes, red rimmed and sore from blinking at lines of code relentlessly for days. White Rose and her strict timeline ever-present with every minute that goes by. Darlene balls up a piece of paper she’s torn from her notebook on the desk she's been allocated and throws it at Elliot who is fully engrossed in the monitors set up around him.

“What?” Elliot asks, pulling his headphones out of his ears at the soft impact, his sharp stare darting to the Dark Army guards, fingers twitching on their triggers. Darlene shuffles closer to Elliot, the wheels of her rundown office chair grinding against the concrete, drawing unwanted attention as the masked faces turn towards them. 

“How much longer? I don’t know how much more of this bullshit I can deal with,” Darlene murmurs, gesturing to the screens and the guards behind them, “They are glorified babysitters in halloween masks.”

“With _guns_. Making sure we hold up our end of the bargain,” Elliot lifts his hands from the keys of his keyboard and drags his chair closer to Darlene, leaning forward, not wanting to be overheard, “Give it a couple more hours. What they want from us is complete… What we want from them will take just a bit longer.”

“I’m going to need a change of scenery real soon or I’m going to lose my shit. It’s been a week.” Darlene groans in frustration, sending a mocking smile to the guard who has been focused solely on her for the past two hours.

“Be patient,” Elliot starts with a serious tone, “Tyrell and Angela are locked away somewhere in here being interrogated, again. The only _scenery_ they've had are four walls and Irving, at least we have something to do.” Darlene rolls her eyes at her brothers lecture, fidgeting with the armrest of her chair. Elliot checks over his shoulder to where the guards are standing, making sure they are out of earshot for what he’s about to say.

“If they let us out, we start tonight. We’ll have everything we need and it won’t matter if they suspect us, they’ll be too busy tripping over themselves. It needs to happen, Darlene.” Elliot says without flinching. 

Darlene gawks at the statement. “Are you _high?_ ” She whispers roughly in disbelief, trying to keep her reaction as internal as possible, the back of her mind tickles in alarm, that this could be Mr Robot and not her brother she’s talking to, merciless and impulsive. 

“This is some serious shit, dude. There's a fuck load of things that need to be done for this to actually work. To do this safely it needs to be over _months._ ” Darlene warily adds, she knows there is no clear or logical way they can do this now, too many variables left in the equation and the thought fills her with dread. 

Hanging her head, Darlene absorbs the heaviness of the situation Elliot is putting all of them in and sighs loudly. 

Elliot stays silent, refusing to say a word, showing no signs that he's genuinely listening to her.  

"We agreed to—” 

Elliot turns on her, intense and fierce, “This is our only _real_ chance. Python approach, ember attacks are nothing more than _naive_  strategiesDom has clouded your judgement with. They aren’t going to work. When has the FBI done anything right when it comes to us? fsociety? E corp? The Dark Army?" He whispers savagely, tearing apart the blueprints her and Dom had formulated together.  

“But—” 

“ _No_ , Darlene. If we don’t do this now, we don’t do it at all.” Elliot finishes, making it clear that the conversation is over and he isn’t willing to listen to anything else she has to say about the matter. Tense minutes of silence pass, his facial expression eases from hard lines to softer ones gradually as he snaps out of the unsympathetic detachment he had lapsed into. 

“Talk to Dom. I’ll update the Dark Army and buy you some time.” Elliot adds almost apologetically as he turns back to his computer and yanks his headphones out, holding the cord suspended in the air between them, as a peace offering, waiting for Darlene to take it.

“They will kill us, you know? And not just us this time. Everyone involved in this. Aren't you worried?” Darlene says, defeated, taking the headphones from Elliot, looking up at him with nervous eyes as he stands, grabbing his laptop.

“If we don’t… We’re all dead anyway. Nothing about this will be clean, but that’s the risk we signed up for.”

Darlene considers his words pensively, watching on as he walks awkwardly towards the guards in masks, gesturing to what is on his screen and then to the room at the end of the warehouse.

The guards begin to lead Elliot slowly, their heavy boots resonating loudly in the warehouse as they set the pace. The noise stops when they reach a man in a hazmat suit, who is casually eating a sandwich by the door. Darlene fires up her laptop again, checking over her shoulder to see if Elliot is holding their attention. 

It doesn’t take her long to find her way back to the Alexa sitting in Dom’s living room, the sound of her fingers working furiously on the keys filling the dead air. She locks onto the device in Dom’s apartment and slumps in her chair, cautious to angle her face away from the Dark Army's line of sight.

Subtly, Elliot turns back and gives her a nod, indicating she’s free to make contact. Darlene pops one of the earbuds in her ear, covering the cord with her hair, leaving the other cord dangling uselessly beside it.

“Dom? Are you there?” Darlene asks, eyes following her brother who is disappearing into the back room. She waits for a reply anxiously, hands flexing above the keyboard.

“Jesus H. _Christ!_ ” Dom exclaims in shock, the weak shout echoing in Dom’s apartment transmits clearly through Alexa and Darlene smiles wickedly at the fright she’s given Dom, tension easing at the familiar voice. 

“You really need to work on your cyber security.” Darlene says, keeping her voice low, trying to avoid alerting the remaining Dark Army guards that are wandering through the warehouse.

Dom hums thoughtfully at the comment. “Maybe you can lend a hand with that.” Dom suggests, stifling a yawn, Darlene can hear Dom’s bed creaking, the rustling of bed sheets, like Dom is shuffling closer and making herself comfortable.

“Oh I’ll lend you a lot more than my hand.” Darlene replies easily, stretching out in her chair at Dom’s immediate scoff.

“I’m sure you will,” Dom attempts to sound unflustered and Darlene smirks knowingly, can almost picture Dom’s cheeks blushing with the thought of what she’s implying, “I’m sure you will…” Dom trails off. 

“How are you?” Dom asks affectionately, shifting to something more meaningful, her voice soft and gentle, conveying her concern with a question. Dom is one of the only people she’s been close to that genuinely wants to know, so whenever Dom asks, softly and with such care, all Darlene can think and feel is _warm_. 

“Honestly… Bored out of my fucking mind,” Darlene groans, leaning back in her office chair, the wheels squeaking underneath her, “Once the imminent danger wore off it’s been a whole lot less… Thrilling.” Dom laughs, the reaction drawing a smile from Darlene.

“Typical,” Dom sighs, “Will they let you go anytime soon?” 

“Elliot seems to think so.” Darlene answers, moving her fingers over the keyboard, pretending like she’s working, looking over to see if Elliot has reappeared from out the back. 

“Believe it or not I’ve missed your annoying tendency to ruin my life.” Dom jokes, Darlene knows she’s smiling, the way her voice lifts with the corners of her mouth. 

“I can’t say I’ve missed doing _that_ … I’ve missed you though." Darlene admits, head spinning pleasantly. She's getting used to that, the welcome dizziness that forms whenever Dom is involved.   

"Is that so?" Dom says curiously, angling for an elaboration and Darlene sighs, giving in. 

"Well, I've never thought of people as adorable before, but you... You're kinda cute. I guess. All things considered."

"How _flattering_ , please Darlene you need to stop, you're making my knees weak and I can't stand it." Dom deadpans, sarcasm dripping from every syllable. Darlene grins, taking Dom's teasing words as a challenge, to stun Dom, to prove her wrong. Darlene settles on honestly, granting Dom a slither of something _real_.    

"I like having you around, girl scout. You're pretty amazing, you know?" Dom chuckles lightly at the attention, a low and throaty laugh that makes Darlene's pulse race on instinct alone and it builds her into someone braver.

"I've been thinking about after, when this fucked up giant mess we're in is gone and we aren't constantly in danger... Maybe we could do this for real? Like... You and me. I'm not into the whole love is forever bullshit, because _ew_ , but I... I'm not good at this. I like you. I want to be around you all the time... So, I know it isn't the greatest time in the world to be asking you out, making it official, but it's something I want. Really want.” Darlene feels her own breath hitch at the admission. 

Noise from the back of the warehouse makes Darlene jump in her chair, "Give me a minute, Dom. Something's different."  


Elliot comes back into view, looking stoic, he offers Darlene a small smile and it's enough to confirm that he's accomplished setting the plan in motion. At the sight of it, Darlene feels both relieved and terrified at once. Elliot’s reemergence reminding her why she’s talking to Dom, forcing her to ignore the war of internal panic over the _emotions_ wreaking havoc inside of her.

“I possessed Alexa for a reason, I swear, I just—” Darlene rushes her words through, berating herself for getting distracted, “Everything starts tonight and we’re going to need your help.” 

Dom sucks in a breath, static fills Darlene’s headphones as she waits for Dom’s verdict. “Okay. Whatever you need.” Darlene grits her teeth, the urge to be mad at Dom rising fast, Dom is far too agreeable, quick to throw herself towards danger and Darlene feels stressed even just contemplating it. 

Darlene watches Elliot make his way back to where she sits, silently doing the math in her head, calculating how much time she has left to talk to Dom.

“Dom, think about this for a second, really thi—” Dom cuts Darlene off before she has a chance to reason.  

“I have. Stop trying to protect me. We are in this together now, I’ve already said yes,” Dom reaffirms with a strict, no nonsense tone, “Look, I know how guilty you feel… But you don’t have to worry about me. I make my own decisions.” 

“ _Ugh._ Why do you have to be so—” Darlene starts and Dom interrupts, again, “Annoying?”

Darlene shakes her head, allowing her hair fall over her face. “No, Why do you have to be so _good?_ ” 

The Dark Army guards are paying more attention to her now as Elliot moves closer and closer, sending her a look that let's her know she has to end her conversation with Dom.

“I have to go, Dom. I’m sorry. I’ve wasted so much time, I should’ve told you—” Darlene stops mid-sentence and directs her words to what she should have started with when she first initiated contact with Dom, to get her mentally prepared for what's to come, “We’ll need you to distract Irving, he’s going to have his suspicions, it’s not going to be easy with the timing. Promise him intel, reveal enough to keep him interested, but not enough for him to hurt you.”

“Okay, I can do that.” Dom’s voice wavers and Darlene hates herself, that she’s putting Dom in this position, with a man who she has witnessed doing the most evil of things. Elliot sits down beside Darlene, mouthing the words ‘tonight’ and tilts his head in the direction of the guards that are watching them curiously. 

Darlene turns her head away from the guards as much as she physically can, “I’ll see you tonight.” She whispers, disconnecting the direct contact with Dom. 

“So?” Darlene asks Elliot, pulling the earbud from her ear as she spins in her chair to face him.

"Tyrell and Angela have to stay here, as some kind of insurance policy," Darlene's face drops, Elliot presses on regardless, "This doesn't change anything."

"I think it fucking does." Darlene bites, disapproving at the coldness her brother is displaying. 

"You think I want this? I'm just as upset about it as you are," Elliot snaps back, "They have been through enough, we all have. Tyrell is... Important to me. So don't get on your fucking high horse about this. We are taking this opportunity." He stands and grabs for his backpack, lifting the hood from his black jumper over his head.

"Are you coming or not?" Elliot asks, slinging his bag over his shoulder. 

Darlene tames the urge to be heroic, Dom's influence, Darlene figures. She trusts in her own judgement enough to know that her and Elliot will be able to get Tyrell and Angela out of this warehouse, in their own way. Darlene packs her things and stands, turning to face her brother who is waiting for her, the eagerness to see Dom bubbling up inside her despite her efforts to keep the feeling concealed.     
  
"I'm sure as shit not staying here." Darlene exclaims, taking long strides towards the exit of the warehouse, flipping off every Dark Army member in her path as she makes her way out. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thanks for reading, the kudos, the comments. it makes my day. 
> 
> this story will end soon! im thinking one or two more chapters, i know i've said that before haha. once it's done i can write more domlene fics, one shots and longer stories that'll go in different directions. 
> 
> thanks again for reading, it's really encouraged me to write again and im so grateful.


	11. Chapter 11

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “You okay?” Dom asks in concern, tightening her hold on Darlene, unaware of what’s going on inside of the mind in front of her. Darlene hums, eyes flicking upwards to the soft look on Dom’s face.
> 
> “Totally, definitely, absolutely, fan-fucking-tastic,” Darlene blurts.
> 
> “Good, that’s good? I guess,” Dom laughs.

Dom’s pulse races. She questions her hearing for a split second, the legitimacy of what she’s heard. 

_ I’ll see you tonight. _

The sentence rings clear over and over in her head, replaying on an endless loop until she forces herself to do something, to move. Dom stands abruptly, feet softly padding against the floorboards to her wardrobe in search of a change of clothes. 

She had shrugged off her work clothes hours ago, the scratchy material that scrapes against her skin discarded to the floor, a growing pile of washing she is yet to tackle. 

Dom turns away from the visible mess, taking mental note of it, knowing she should probably make an effort to clean before… 

She rifles through her wardrobe, undecided as she distractedly browses the selection of clothes she has in front of her. 

The soft fabric of her pyjamas usually soothes, but the thought of Darlene’s pending arrival and her admission through Alexa makes Dom feel undressed, underprepared. She settles on casual, jeans and a t-shirt, hesitating only for a moment as she grabs the blue flannelette shirt she’d stolen from Darlene’s apartment a week earlier. 

As she puts it on, she notices that it feels heavy against her shoulders, against her skin, like wearing it is a silent admission of her own. 

Darlene hadn’t given her a chance to respond, the words building up inside Dom the more she wonders, the more she realises that she wants this too, that it's going to be okay if she admits to herself that she wants it. _Really_ wants it. Wants Darlene.

Months ago she wouldn’t have let it the thought into her head and if it snuck in, Dom had thrown it to the back of her mind, locked it carefully away in the tiniest part of her skull, where no light or stray thought would ever find it.

Dom wanders to the bathroom and stares at her reflection in the mirror, hands gripping the porcelain sink as she sighs. 

The sleepless nights have taken their toll, her eyes dark and weary. She threads her hands through her hair, working her fingers past the knots to gather it up, tying it into a neat ponytail. The curling iron on the side of her sink gleams eagerly at her under the harsh bathroom light, Dom ignores it, thankful that her pent up nervous energy is kindly offering her some limits. 

She starts tidying, carelessly knocking abandoned items she has left out into a basket she’s picked up from the floor, keeping her hands busy, vaguely aware that she’s making more work for herself later on down the track when she eventually decides to clean properly. 

After tucking the basket of clutter in a cupboard out of sight, Dom splashes cold water over her face in an attempt to shock her body into a state that’s more awake, more prepared for what’s about to happen. She’s not sure what will transpire between them, her and Darlene, but the burning inside her body gives her a solid indication of the direction it wants to go. 

With one last glance at the mirror and the condition of her now semi-clean looking bathroom, satisfied at what she’s been able to pull together, Dom heads towards the kitchen, putting on the coffee pot, figuring she can use all the caffeine she can get at the moment.

She heaves the lump of clothes that have formed a pile on the floor up into her arms and lobs the items one by one over to the laundry basket at the corner of the room, impressed by herself at the aim she’s managed this late at night.

Her nerves build, Darlene’s name repeating endlessly around a circuit in her head. 

Dom migrates towards the living room, picking up the trash that has accumulated in the past week, throwing it in the bin while she paces up and down her apartment. 

Dom feels the jitters in her limbs and groans, uneasy, knowing the caffeine that she’s about to pump throughout her system will magnify the feeling ten fold. She caves, hopping up to sit on top of the counter, pouring the dark liquid into her favourite mug, taking a sip as her fingers drum against the countertop, settling in to wait. 

Hours tick by, hours of Dom asking Alexa for the time incessantly only to be told that another ten minutes have passed, too slowly for Dom’s liking. 

She adjust the screen on her laptop, a trashy reality tv show that she hasn’t been paying attention to fills the screen as she shifts her position on the bed, unable to find a comfortable spot. She knows she won’t and that her frustrated efforts are futile. Dom slams the laptop shut, giving up on trying to distract herself while she waits. 

Scenarios begin to flood in, maybe Darlene isn’t coming, maybe she’s changed her mind, maybe the Dark Army have no more use for the Alderson siblings, maybe she’s been kil— Dom stops her train of thought before it has a chance to take off and rolls over, tugging at the glasses that rest on her nose, placing them on the ledge above her bed. 

Her eyes grow tired, slow blinks like shutters of camera lens as they sweep across her bedroom, the gap between the frames growing longer and longer, sleep creeping up on her with a calm determination. 

A thundering rumble fills the space inside her apartment, bleeding through the front door, rousing Dom from the accidental doze she’s fallen into. The noise continues, building in volume, seemingly coming closer as she wakes. Her brain connects the dots, that the sound is someone rushing up the stairs and heavy hurried steps down the hallway. Sitting bolt upright, Dom rubs her eyes and stumbles off the bed.

Her legs are wobbly as she crosses the floor in urgency, taking swift strides towards the door. Dom reaches for the door handle, pulling it open without a second thought. Darlene stands in front of her, her hand hanging in mid-air, poised to knock.

“Oh hey, nice shirt…” Darlene’s fingers trace the fabric leisurely, from Dom’s wrist up to her shoulder. Reaching her unplanned destination, Darlene buries her hand in the collar of the blue flannelette. 

Dom studies Darlene’s face, staying quiet as the universe shifts and shakes around them, like it always has. 

Feeling the weight of the moment, a slow smile spreads across Darlene’s features, eyes sparkling at the speechless attention directed her way. Darlene knows this peace won’t last so she takes a deep breath, witnessing the hesitation creeping into Dom’s eyes steadily the more Dom stares. 

“I just, I couldn’t help myself, so, you know I took this—” Dom starts, rambling only increasing in speed before Darlene cuts her off with a kiss, her lips landing with a soft sigh of relief against Dom’s mouth.

Dom melts under the surge of Darlene’s lips, letting herself be walked backwards into the room where this whole _thing_ between them started. Darlene kicks the door shut behind her, tugging the material of her kidnapped shirt smoothly down past Dom’s shoulders. 

“I like this on you,” Darlene mumbles, breaking the contact of their lips momentarily, throwing the blue flannelette to the floor. Dom grins sheepishly, hands settling on Darlene’s hips, fingers locking on to the hem of Darlene’s shirt and lifting it up over her head. 

“I like it on me too,” Dom replies easily, dropping Darlene’s shirt to join the other on the floor. Darlene pushes Dom further backwards, until Dom collides with a table, her legs bumping against it with a thud.

“My bad,” Darlene offers as she leans her head to the side, around Dom’s body, looking for what she has ran into. Alexa wobbles precariously on the edge of the table and Darlene makes a sudden grab for it before it has the chance to fall off. 

“Can’t be hurting my girl now can I?” Darlene shifts Alexa from one hand to the other, marvelling at the small device, “Alexa, the wingman of the future,” Dom rolls her eyes as Darlene sets it down carefully, Patting the top of it before turning back to focus on Dom.

Darlene runs her hands up and down Dom’s arms, allowing herself a moment where she can touch, think and feel as Dom breathes, smiling down at her with warm eyes. Darlene slides her hands underneath Dom’s remaining t-shirt and pulls it over Dom’s head, ridding her of it. 

“I still want to know how you did that,” Dom wraps her arms around Darlene’s waist, pulling her tight against her body, revelling the feel of skin on skin where their bodies meet.

Dom spreads her fingers across the exposed skin of Darlene’s back, “Seriously I want to know, it shouldn’t be possible, it’s incredible really,” Dom prompts, hoping Darlene will let her in on the secret. 

“I’ll tell you, I’ll show you even, I promise. I just… Not tonight, I’m so tired, Dom.” Darlene sighs, leaning up and kissing Dom’s cheek. Dom turns her head, catching Darlene’s lips, kissing her thoroughly until she’s breathless. 

“Okay, we can do whatever you want to do, I’ll do whatever you want me to do, whenever you want me to do it,” Dom rests her forehead against Darlene’s in a way that’s on the verge of nuzzling, she closes her eyes and ignores the urge to stop this vulnerability she’s displaying. 

“We have a crazy amount of things that we need to talk about. Organise. Prepare for.”

“We do, but it doesn’t have to be right now.”

“I meant what I said earlier, in case you are wondering or think it was just in the moment or something,” Darlene pulls back, Dom’s arms relenting some space. 

“I know,” Darlene stares intently up at the face she’s fallen in lov— she halts the thought, her mind not ready to acknowledge what her heart already knows. 

Dom’s hands slide up her back, to her shoulders, her neck, settling on her jaw, softly demanding Darlene’s full attention. 

“I don’t think I’ve ever told you,” Dom says with serious eyes, her feet inching closer, bumping against Darlene’s in the already limited space between them. 

“Told me what?” Darlene gulps, her heart beating faster and faster the longer Dom draws this out. 

“You’ve told me a few times, that you like me,” Dom starts, her voice unwavering, determined. Darlene cringes inwardly at how juvenile she must of sounded with the confession.

“The effort you’ve put in to this, making it up to me, showing me how much you _care_ ,” Dom gently pulls Darlene’s face closer, her eyes bright as she talks, “everything you’ve done for me—” 

“Dom, it’s okay, you don’t have to,” Darlene offers.

“I want to, you moron,” Dom says, her voice light and teasing. Unsure of what to do, Darlene places her hands on Dom’s bare stomach, her fingers fidgeting against the warm skin. 

“That tickles.”

“Ugh. Dom, hurry up. Keep going.”

“You’re the one that stopped me in the first place!” 

Darlene pokes her finger into Dom’s stomach pointedly, feeling the muscles recoil away from the halfhearted stab. Dom makes an ‘oof’ noise, laughing as she tightens her grip on Darlene’s jaw, drawing Darlene in, willing herself to get this out. 

“I haven’t the chance to tell you how much it’s meant to me,” Dom runs her thumbs softly over Darlene’s cheeks, “You didn’t owe me anything, I get why you did what you did, I’ve always understood it.”

Ashamed, Darlene drops her gaze and Dom quickly jerks Darlene’s eyes back up to where she needs them.

“The truth is… I was so angry, not at you,” Darlene squints sceptically, “Well _maybe_ a little bit at you, but mostly at myself because I put myself in that position. Somewhere, deep down, I knew how I felt about you,” Dom takes a slow breath, trying to shake off the painful memories, the nights she had stayed awake hating herself. 

“When we met, the CHS days, our unscheduled meetings, that night. All of it… I was falling for you. Fuck, I fell so hard, Darlene, you have no idea,” Dom says with watery eyes and an easy smile. 

“You’re stubborn, aggravating, cynical… You attract trouble like a magnet everywhere you—” Darlene cuts Dom off. 

“So, I thought this was going in a completely different direction,” Darlene grumbles. Dom sighs at the interruption and drops her hands from Darlene’s face, flattening her palms out across Darlene’s rib cage instead. 

“I was getting there,” Dom adds, “I’m beginning to understand why I haven’t had the chance to tell you this, you never shut up,” Darlene swats at Dom. 

“Darlene, I like all those things about you, I admire it, that you know who you are and where you’re going… I like you, but it's more than that, it’s always been more than that, for me.” Dom finishes, her hands shaking lightly where they rest against Darlene’s skin. 

Darlene pauses, lingering under Dom’s stare, she’s not sure what’s she’s waiting for, why she’s standing motionless, like her feet have been glued to the wooden floorboards… Until it happens, every romantic cliche she’s ever heard or been told about comes rushing in, a storm of colour, fireworks on the fourth of July, her heart stuttering and skipping a beat, the rest of the world falling away, a symphony starts playing somewhere in her mind, butterflies in her stomach wildly take flight, her knees weaken… 

“Holy shit,” Darlene says, her eyelids fluttering shut as her head spins. 

“You okay?” Dom asks in concern, tightening her hold on Darlene, unaware of what’s going on inside of the mind in front of her. Darlene hums, eyes flicking upwards to the soft look on Dom’s face. 

“Totally, definitely, absolutely, fan- _fucking_ -tastic,” Darlene blurts. 

“Good, that’s good? I guess,” Dom laughs. 

Without a sound, Darlene takes one of the hands that Dom has wrapped around her torso and leads Dom towards the bed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> you can probably guess where this is going haha. one more chapter to go!


	12. Chapter 12

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Oh my god. Why are you like this…” Darlene’s legs tighten around Dom’s hips like a vice, trapping her. She reaches for Dom’s wrists, pinning them above her head as she bends to speak, “I don’t hear you complaining.”
> 
> With the limited control she has, Dom lifts her neck and edges her face closer to Darlene's. “I’m complaining right now. The last thing I said was a complaint.” Dom groans, amused exasperation lacing her voice.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> im so sorry! life has been a bit hectic lately and i should've had this up way earlier. i was planning on making this the last chapter but im going to have to split it to keep the wait down. anyway here it is! (super sorry)

She is _too_ good at this. 

Darlene had noticed the first time they had come together like this, tangled bodies and breathless whispers. She had noticed the way Dom understood her, like she knew all the secrets that Darlene kept were just underneath the surface of her skin and Dom’s hands were determined to strip her of them. 

It’s different this time. _Permanent_. That's what this is, that’s what this feels like, Darlene thinks. 

Dom’s fingers and lips combine in their efforts, frayed wires connect and spark as Darlene’s back arches, lifting from the bed. A brilliant blinding light soars behind her eyelids, mimicking the current charging up and down her spine, her breathing loud in her own ears. Dom’s name spills out of Darlene’s mouth over and over, like she’s afraid Dom will stop if she doesn’t keep on repeating it, assuring her that this is _right_ and _good_ and _everything_.

She breaks, completely, her body pushed to the purest place of pleasure. Darlene tangles her fingers in red hair, pulling Dom up with the strength that still remains in her limbs, a lazy grin overflowing with affection follows Dom as she shuffles upwards.

Darlene’s eyes struggle to focus as she catches her breath. Dom settles on top of her and Darlene holds her there, wrapping her arms around the warm, naked body pressed against her.

Dom lifts her head and props herself up, staring down at Darlene, trying to maintain as much contact between them as possible, brushing the skin of Darlene’s neck with her fingertips. She opens her mouth to speak, but Darlene cuts her off before one word can make it past her lips.

“I swear to god, if you ask me if that was okay…” Darlene says, her voice tired, unguarded joy filtering through her features as she stares up at Dom.

“Was it?” Dom asks predictably, always having to check and make sure. It’s endearing, Darlene thinks. Everything Dom does is frustratingly endearing. Openhearted and attentive in a way that doesn’t make her feel like she’s being smothered. Just enough to know she cares, that she can rely on Dom whenever she needs to.

“Dude, come on! Like you couldn’t tell…” Darlene says in disbelief, winding her arms around Dom’s neck, drawing her in for a kiss.

Dom smiles against Darlene’s lips, losing her focus as she laughs, “Maybe I just want to hear you say it.”

“Is that so?” Darlene drawls, threading her fingers through Dom’s hair, tugging sharply as she presses open mouth kisses along Dom’s neck and jaw, taking advantage of the expanse of skin she has exposed.

Dom hums in response, the ability to form words escapes her for a split second, an aftermath of the attention she’s receiving.

“In that case…” Darlene flips them, pushing Dom onto her back with a soft thud, determined as she resumes planting kisses up and down the column of Dom’s throat, sucking and biting at her neck with purpose.

“Quit teasing and tell me…” Dom groans, holding Darlene’s head against the spot Darlene had found earlier, the one just south of her ear.

“I think you _like_ it.” Darlene wedges one of her legs between Dom’s thighs, pressing hard, stirring a strangled noise from Dom. Darlene smirks into Dom’s neck, incredibly pleased with the reaction.

“I don’t.” Dom protests, her body betraying her words as her hips shift downwards, seeking more contact from Darlene as she stretches out across her body. Dom isn’t sure how she’s this wound up, _again_ , like the past few hours somehow don't count. Her control slipping as her body surges, wanting for an unattainable more. More of Darlene, her mouth and skin and touch and taste and teeth.

Darlene ceases her movements and lifts her head, staring down with a mischievous look as Dom whines, “Why did you stop?”

“You said you didn’t like it.” Dom huffs, unhappy with the answer. She squirms underneath Darlene, desperate for any sort of friction.

Darlene sits up, her legs either side of Dom’s waist as she peers down stubbornly, a glint in her eye telling Dom that this is war. A battle Dom is happy to lose a thousand times over. 

“Oh my god. Why are you like this…” Darlene’s legs tighten around Dom’s hips like a vice, trapping her. She reaches for Dom’s wrists, pinning them above her head as she bends to speak, “I don’t hear you complaining.”

With the limited control she has, Dom lifts her neck and edges her face closer to Darlene's. “I’m complaining right now. The last thing I said was a complaint.” Dom groans, amused exasperation lacing her voice. Darlene finds it charming, that Dom wants her and is growing more impatient by the minute.

Relenting, Darlene bridges the gap with a sharp nip at Dom’s bottom lip. She’s been attentive and observant, picking up the things Dom reacts to, the way her body melts and her pulse races. Dom gasps into her mouth and she knows she’s found another weakness. She pulls back and hovers, her face inches away from Dom’s as she takes in her appearance. Dom’s hair is mused and her cheeks are flushed, the dim light of the room making her eyes look like they are sparkling.

“You know, this whole sleeping together thing is a lot more enjoyable without me having to completely destroy your life.” Dom’s face doesn’t fall, she doesn’t even flinch and Darlene revels in the victory. This thing between them is freeing, transformed into light instead of darkness, keeping them together instead of tearing them apart.

“A little bit of trust goes a long way.” Dom says as Darlene leans down again, kissing Dom’s cheek swiftly with force.

“Yes it fucking does.” Darlene concurs.

Dom struggles halfheartedly against the hold and Darlene smirks, “You are stronger than me, girl scout. If you wanted to get out of this you could.”

A buzzing and beeping sound erupts from a pile of clothes on the floor, the incessant ring stealing Darlene’s attention. “Fuck,” she blurts, releasing her grip on Dom’s wrists, “It’ll be Elliot.” Darlene scrambles from the bed and searches the floor for her phone.

“What the fuck is the time?”

They had a plan, Darlene thinks, rushing to put her clothes back on as her phone continues to ring. She throws Dom her own as she sifts through the pile, “I fucked up, I can’t believe I let myself get this distracted—” Dom sits up and starts to get dressed, confusion etched across her face.

“What’s going on?” Dom asks, throwing her shirt over her head.

Darlene grabs her phone and checks the time. 3.45AM blinks back at her, multiple missed calls and messages fill the screen, Darlene cringes and turns to Dom, “I’m a fucking moron, Elliot has been executing this thing since we were let out and we’ve just been in here doing… _this._ ” She gestures between them, their state of partial undress, “I’m the worst sister ever.”

Dom reaches out to snag Darlene’s arm, pulling her in. “Stop. Call him back, whatever it is we can handle it, _you_ can handle it. Like you always have.” She says, brushing the hair from Darlene’s face. The easy encouragement soothes and Darlene lingers, snapping out of it when the phone in her grasp buzzes again.

She takes a few steps away from Dom, putting some space between them, avoiding another distraction while Dom dresses. “Hey Elliot, I’m so sorry—”

“Are you okay? Where are you?” He barks, sounding more concerned than angry.

“I’m okay. I’m with Dom.” Darlene says, aware that he is only asking for absolute confirmation, no doubt already suspecting where she would be, “Are you okay? What’s happening?”

“I’m fine, we’re fine,” Elliot says calmly and Darlene lets out a breath she wasn’t aware she was holding, “Tyrell is with me, Angela is safe. It’s working, Darlene.” His voice is unusually light, creeping with an optimism she hasn’t heard in years.

“I can’t believe you did this without me.” Darlene complains, this whole fsociety business was theirs, together, and she can’t help feeling betrayed.

“You didn't call or message back," The excuse is feeble, nothing would have stopped him so Darlene waits for him to continue talking, "I didn’t want to drag you into this, more than what I already have. The risk was mine to take,” He breathes, sounding guilty, “There are good things we need to protect now,” Darlene looks over at Dom, her reassuring eyes shining, “No more destruction.”

Darlene hums her agreement, her attention waning when Dom stands and begins to put on some jeans, Darlene drinks in the sight of lean muscle and skin while it’s still available to her, “Is there anything I can do?” She asks, turning her back to Dom, attempting to regain her focus. 

“Irving is missing.” Elliot says, and Darlene automatically feels nervous at the mention of his name.

“And?” She fights the feeling of panic, the biting tone must worry Dom as strong arms wrap around her waist, offering her comfort. 

Darlene’s shoulders drop, the tension fading in a rush when careful hands slide underneath her shirt. “I don’t know what his movements will be, he might come for Dom, he might be running. We don’t know.”

“What am I supposed to do?” Warm palms rest against her stomach with the intention to soothe, gentle as they move backwards and forwards, “Do we just wait until he shows up and hope for the best?”

“No, no.” Elliot objects, “Tyrell and I are coming to get you. Angela is with Price, we are going to meet them at his estate,” Dom’s phone begins to ring and she releases her grip on Darlene, “Price is getting all of us out of the country.” Elliot finishes as Dom answers her phone, nodding absentmindedly at the information she’s receiving and replying in a hushed tone.

“And Dom? She’s coming with us too right?” Darlene questions, holding her breath. Dom stalks towards the kitchen with her phone pressed against her ear in search of what Darlene can assume is coffee.

“Yes, of course. She's one of us." Elliot's words are soft and adamant. Darlene can't stop the smile that spreads across her face.

"Any destinations in mind?" Darlene asks.

"Up to you, anywhere but here. I have to go. We’ll be there soon.” Elliot reassures and hangs up.

Darlene walks towards the kitchen, relieved to see Dom pouring herself a cup of coffee, holding one already made out for Darlene. “Who was that?” Darlene checks out of curiosity, uncertainty.

“The FBI, they want me to bring you in again. Track you down. Arrest you.” Dom tenses as she speaks and takes an anxious sip, recoiling when the liquid burns her tongue.

“That is _so_ not going to happen.” Darlene announces confidently.

“Right. But I couldn’t exactly tell them that.” Dom agrees, rolling her eyes.

Dom continues, “It’s all over the news. Whiterose is finished, they have most of our agents out looking for her right now.” Darlene walks forward, placing her mug on the bench beside Dom, deciding that resting against her is more of a necessity than caffeine.

“Elliot and Tyrell are on their way. We need to pack. Got some stuff that I can borrow?” Dom rests her free arm on Darlene’s hip. She doesn’t question why or try to protest, just stares openly as she catches on.

“Feel like leaving the country with me?” Darlene asks, keeping her tone light, “I hear Budapest is beautiful this time of year.” Dom smiles, she doesn’t have to say yes, Darlene already knows what her answer will be. 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thank you for reading! :) i'll get the next (and last) part up a lot quicker.


	13. Chapter 13

They watch Tyrell’s car pulling up to the curb from the window, eyes following Elliot as he shuts the door and hurries inside Dom’s building. Dom stifles a yawn, the past twenty four hours catching up to her slowly but surely. She can imagine how tired Darlene is and finds herself impressed that she’s still standing. Her eyes drift back down to the street, the sight of the sun rising between the buildings warming her from the inside out. 

Darlene shrugs, the backpack slung over her shoulders is heavy, filled with Dom’s borrowed clothes. She slumps lazily against Dom’s body with a groan, her hand reaching out to wrap around Dom’s waist.

“Are you okay with this?” Darlene asks, her voice muffled as she buries her face into Dom’s side, “I know I haven’t given you much of a choice when it comes to… Well.. Anything.”

“I choose you, Darlene.” Dom exhales easily, Darlene lifts her face and rolls her eyes. The grip she has on Dom's hip tightens, pulling her closer despite the cheesy declaration. 

“Oh god. We are going to be _that_ couple. I’m suddenly having second thoughts about us.” Darlene teases as Dom begins to wriggle away from her. 

“Hey! Come _back_ here.” Darlene reaches out, failing to hold on to Dom. She whines as Dom strides with pace across the room, turning to face Darlene with a calculating grin. 

“You started it. Now you have to live with the consequences of your actions.” Dom positions herself carefully behind the table and Darlene clues in on the challenge. 

“I see.” Darlene huffs, the wheels turning over in her mind as she weighs up her plan of attack. 

Without warning Darlene moves, circling the table with quick steps as Dom laughs in surprise. Dom manages to dodge the hands grasping at her without any real effort, “You’re a lot faster than I thought you’d be without sleep.”

Darlene sighs and halts her movements. She takes in how Dom looks right now, the easy laughter spilling from her throat, the lightness in her eyes, the way her hair falls in front of her face when she tilts her head to smile. 

“Dom, I love you.” 

“You… What? _Really?_ ” 

Darlene shakes her head up and down, “Yes, I do.” S eizing the moment of distraction, Darlene climbs the table abruptly, startling Dom, ungracefully jumping down on top of her to pin Dom against the couch. 

“Sucker.” Darlene basks in her victory, her hands wandering with no restraint as Dom groans in defeat. 

A persistent knock at the door interrupts the moment and Darlene takes her time to separate herself from Dom. “I meant what I said.” Darlene adds, kissing Dom soundly on the lips, trying to wordlessly convey that she’s serious. 

Dom beams at her, “I know. I’ve never been good at this, but with you… It’s different. I lov—” 

Elliot’s voice booms from behind the door, “What are you guys doing? We need to leave. _Now_.”

Darlene yells back without hesitation, “We are having a moment in here dude.”

“You can have as many moments as you want in Budapest when we are safe. Hurry up.”

Dom walks to grab her suitcase, unfazed by the interruption. Her eyes rake over her apartment, not knowing when or if she’ll ever see her home again. 

“Sorry. He’s right. Let’s get going.” Dom bumps her hip into Darlene’s as she mumbles, "What a mood killer."

“Are you ready?”

With one hand, Darlene tightens her grip on the strap of her backpack, the other hand gently takes Dom’s own and gives it a reassuring squeeze. 

“As I’ll ever be.” Darlene pulls Dom towards the door, opening it to find her brother.

“Took you long enough,” He says simply, more calm than Darlene thought he’d be given the current situation. He nods to Dom, a small smile forming on his lips as he greets her. 

“Have you got everything?” Elliot asks and Dom looks down at Darlene before she answers, their eyes meeting as Darlene bounces on her feet, trying to shake off the nervous energy, “Yes, it appears that I have.” 

Darlene's cheeks involuntarily burn bright pink at the attention. Somehow she manages to smirk,  “ _Wow_. You’re on a roll, girl scout.”

Elliot sighs and heads towards the hallway, making his way to the steps, motioning for them to follow him. Darlene starts walking backwards slowly, hanging back while Dom turns towards her apartment for the last time. 

Dom’s hand hovers on the door handle, unexpectedly struck by sentimental feelings, “Alexa I’ll miss you.”

“And I’ll miss you.” The robotic voice filling the empty space as Dom shuts the door.

_ Five minutes later _

 

"I cannot believe your sister made us turn back for _that_." Tyrell shouts in annoyance as he hurriedly drives through traffic, racing to get to the airfield where Price's private jet is waiting. Dom observes Elliot as he whispers soft words she's unable to make out to Tyrell, watches as his anger ebbs away.  

In the back seat, Darlene shifts to prop up Alexa sitting in her lap, staring down at it fondly, "It felt wrong leaving her behind. She's been good to Dom, it's only right that we take her with us."

"Her? It's a _speaker_." Tyrell says in disbelief, eyes focused on the road as he weaves between cars.   

Dom shakes her head in amusement and leans over, settling her lips against Darlene's ear, "I love you too." 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i'm sorry this has taken forever. i've been so busy and when i haven't been i found it hard to get back into writing these two. it was kinda daunting giving this an ending. thank you soooo much for reading this story. <3


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